(A) Applications for any zoning amendment, variance, or special use shall be filed in the office of the Community Development Administrator. The original copy of such applications shall be retained by the Community Development Administrator and a copy shall be filed with the County Clerk’s office. If such application is in proper form, a hearing date will be set before the Zoning Board of Appeals. The Zoning Board of Appeals will not consider the sufficiency of the application and evidence until after a public hearing has been held and all parties have been given an opportunity to address such application, evidence, and documents.
(B) After said hearing, the Zoning Board of Appeals shall make a finding as to the sufficiency of the application, evidence, documents, and testimony and shall report its finding in its recommendation to the County Board in applications concerning zoning amendments. In applications for variances for special uses, the Zoning Board of Appeals shall issue a decision and findings of fact which shall be final administrative decisions for purposes of review under the Administrative Review Act, being 735 ILCS 5/3-101 et seq. In any case where the ZBA does not issue a decision, the decision of the County Board shall be the final administrative decision for the purposes of review under the Administrative Review Act, being 735 ILCS 5/3-101 et seq.
(C) For the purposes of this Code, the following cases are hereby defined as "Class A zoning cases":
(1) Any case involving a petition requesting a special use for one or more of the following:
(a) Adult uses;
(b) Solar farms;
(c) Wind energy conversion systems.
(D) Additionally, the term "Class A zoning case" shall include any secondary zoning case which is related to a pending Class A zoning case as defined in (C) above. For the purposes of this division, a secondary zoning case is "related to" a Class A zoning case when it is sought by the same petitioner or a related petitioner, at the same time, in connection with the same project.
(E) Any case which is not a Class A zoning case is a "Class B zoning case" for the purposes of this Code.
(Prior Code, 7 TCC 1-27(a)) (Res. LU-23-02, passed 1-25-2023)