'I'm From Berwyn': Burr Ridge Man Explains Failure To Get Permit

BURR RIDGE, IL – Your chances are low for getting permission to put up a fence that varies from Burr Ridge's code.

The Village Board rejected two such requests Monday, following longtime practices.

For months, the LaConte family, who bought a house southeast of 80th and Madison streets, have sought permission for a fence. They erected a fence to replace one that had been there for years. But the fence was out of compliance.

The family had told the village the contractor stated a permit wasn't needed. At Monday's meeting, Mayor Gary Grasso said the village found out the contractor advised the family they needed one.

Matt LaConte told the Village Board he didn't think he needed a permit. He said his grandfather had done much work to the house without permits – "didn't really let you guys know anything."

"At the end of the day, there are no nefarious thoughts," he said. "The dog knocked down the fence, we replaced it quickly. I didn't know I needed a permit. I'm from Berwyn. We've done gate chain-link fences and random stuff to our garage, and gutted out our bathroom and basement. We didn't need a permit for anything in Berwyn. Maybe we did."

(Berwyn's website lists the types of projects, including fences, that require building permits.)

Every day, LaConte said, parents of students from the nearby Gower Middle School park their cars in front of his house waiting for the end of school. It's a no-parking zone.

Privacy is the reason a fence is needed, LaConte said.

"(I) can't have my kids outside in their underwear or if they are going to be swimming, be in their little swimsuits. I feel weird," he said.

The Village Board unanimously rejected the request for a fence, but officials said the police should enforce the no-parking zone.

In April, the board voted 4-2 for a compromise on the fence request, but the issue later went back to the Plan Commission because of a technicality. With Monday's decision, part of the fence must be torn down, and the rest must have slats that are spaced farther apart.

In another case, Lin Sebaihi, who lives at the northeast corner of Windsor Court and 83rd Street, asked for a fence in the setback of her corner lot's side yard.

The request, she said, was to make the most use of the side yard and keep her and her husband's two toddlers and "hopefully" more children safe.

"We have a heavy tree line on 83rd Street. There are a few areas they can escape through the trees – and they do run very fast," Sebaihi said.

Trustee Russell Smith said he feared approval would break the village's precedent on fences That would result in a line of other people with such requests, he said.

"It puts us in a tough position as a board because ordinances are not designed around children, they are not designed around trees," Smith said.

Trustee Guy Franzese agreed. He said the village has been denying such requests for decades.

The board was unanimous in its rejection. Trustee Joe Snyder was connected remotely; trustees Anita Mital and Tony Schiappa were absent.