Rockford Sun

The Belvidere city council recently discussed amending a zoning requirement for a fledgling business.

During a Jan. 3 city council meeting, the council considered amending a previous zoning requirement for the property located at 1550 Pearl St.  The property is currently under construction and local residents have complained about lights from the development constantly shining through the windows of their homes. In response, the council made a zoning requirement for a fence around the property to block the light.

Development Planner Gina DelRose explained to the city council that the owner of the property was requesting an amendment to the zoning requirement. DelRose had gone out to the property and walked around with the owner. The back part of the property didn’t connect to any houses or developments, and had quite a few feet of empty green space. The issues were mainly coming from the windowed areas of the building, so it was proposed that the owner would just put panels in front of the specific areas or plant a bunch of greenery to block the light.

The owner was requesting an amendment because the lowest quote she had received for fencing her property was $15,000 and she did not have enough to cover the expense while also fixing up the building to start a business. 

"We don't want to shut a business down for finances before they even got a chance to open," DelRose said at the meeting. "So I thought this was a good compromise that still protected the neighbors, but let her focus on getting the building rehabbed or to where it needs to be."

The council agreed that the cost was excessive and that too many businesses that had previously occupied the location had failed. They passed the amendment and allowed the change.