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The Legislative Road to U-Pick Flowers in Barrington Hills, IL
Our journey began with a simple idea: that a small farm could grow more than just flowers. It could nurture connections, foster learning, and bring a bit of joy to all who visit. Though our path has encountered unexpected twists, we remain rooted in the belief that the flowers & joy we cultivate here is meant to be shared far and wide, touching lives beyond any borders.
Below, we have summarized our progress of trying to reopen the farm to the public.
Roadmap
Click sections to learn more...
Agricultural Experience in Barrington Hills
At Little Ducky Flower Farm, we’re focused on keeping discussions about farms in Barrington Hills rooted in facts. Our write-ups highlight the benefits of local agriculture and address concerns about our proposal, helping you understand the impact of supporting sustainable farming in our community.
13) Free Resident Only Tulip Event Rejected By Village: (April 7th 2025)
The village has responded to our request to host a Free, No Cost, No Donation, Non-Commercial tulip viewing event on our property for Barrington Hills Residents. As expected, it was denied.
Editorial: It begs the question, has all the philanthropic events that the village
Dear Mr. Yamamoto,
Please be advised that this Firm represents the Village of Barrington Hills (the ”Village”). This correspondence serves as the Village’s response to your inquiry dated March 29, 2025 concerning the purposed use of your property located at XXXX XXXXXXX XXX in the Village (the “Property”) by the general public for non-commercial recreational outdoor u-pick flowers activity.
You have indicated that you intend to intend to provide a public invitation to “all 4000+ residents” of the Village to your Property to engage in recreational outdoor u-pick flowers activities on your Property free of charge. You have indicated that you will limit this outdoor recreational activity to the first 500 individuals who register and that this outdoor recreational activity will be permitted by you by appointment, with no further limitation on the number of appointments permitted.
Please be advised that the proposed non-commercial recreational outdoor u-pick flowers activity on your Property by the general public is not authorized under the Village’s zoning regulations.
Section 5-1-2 of the Zoning Code provides that the overall intent and purpose of the Village’s zoning regulations is to, in pertinent part: (1) promote and protect the public health, safety, morals, convenience and the general welfare of the people; (2) prevent overcrowding and congestion of land; and (3) prevent residential areas from harmful encroachment by incompatible uses and to insure that residential areas shall not be usurped by other inappropriate uses; and (4) prevent street congestion through adequate requirements for off-street parking, among other purposes.
Section 5-5-2 of the Village Code provides that residential property shall not be used for any purpose other than an expressed permitted use in the R1 District. Section 5-5-2 additionally provides for a limited number of express permitted primary and accessory uses of residential property in the Village’s R1 District. The proposed non-commercial recreational outdoor u-pick flowers activity on your Property, by the general public, is not an expressly permitted primary or accessory use of the Property.
Section 5-5-3 of the Village Code allows for certain non-commercial outdoor recreational use to occur on property in the Village’s R-1 District under the grant of a Special Use Permit.
However, the proposed non-commercial recreational outdoor u-pick flowers activity on your Property, by the general public, is not an allowed special use of the Property in the Village’s R-1 District.
You have further indicated members of the Zoning Board and members of the Village Board have expressed that general public “access to your field could be permitted so long as no money is exchanged.” I am not aware of any such comments being made by members of the Zoning Board or members of the Village Board in that regard. Moreover, under Illinois law, a comment of an individual board member has no binding effect on a municipality and cannot serve to undermine duly enacted and approved municipal ordinances and regulations. While the Village has indicated you are permitted to use the Property to grow and maintain your own flower field, the proposed non-commercial recreational outdoor u-pick flowers activity on your Property, by the general public, is not an allowed recreational use of your Property under the Village’s zoning regulations.
Should you have any follow-up questions do not hesitate to contact me at (xxx) xxx-xxxx or at (redacted)
12) Letter to Village: Limited Free Tulip Event For BH Residents (March 29th 2025)
In light of statements made by the ZBA and various Trustees stating u-pick flowers is commercial because there is an exchange of money happening, we decided to ask the village if we could host a FREE, no cost, no donation, appointment only, invite only event extended to all 4000+ residents of Barrington Hills and open to the first 500 who sign up. We made this request in writing to hopefully share our field of 20,000 tulips with residents of our village.
Hello Village of Barrington Hills and Trustees,
I’m writing to provide a courtesy notice regarding a limited initiative we plan to offer in April/May during Tulip season at our flower field located at XXXX XXXXXXXX Rd, Barrington, IL 60010.
In response to comments made by members of the Zoning Board of Appeals and Board of Trustees—that access to our field could be permitted so long as no money is exchanged—we are planning to open our flower field to Barrington Hills residents free of charge, by online appointment only.
We intend to extend the invitation to all 4,000+ residents of the village but will limit participation to the first 500 individuals who register. Visits will be:
By appointment only, with address/residence verification
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Limited participants per time slot
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Limited number of days in April or May (depending on weather)
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Confined to our main flower field/ agricultural area located in the middle of the property
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Peaceful, quiet, and free of sales or commercial activity
There will be:
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No products or services offered
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No amplified sound, lighting, or events
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No promotional activity beyond direct communication to Barrington Hills residents, including via our private channels and community-facing platforms
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No traffic impacts beyond normal residential use
This is a direct response to the idea raised at multiple public meetings that such visits would be permitted if conducted without any exchange of funds. Our hope is simply to share the beauty we've grown with neighbors who have expressed interest in visiting, in a way that is peaceful, intentional, and aligned with the village's stated guidance.
To ensure transparency and allow the village ample opportunity to raise any concerns, we respectfully request a written response by April 7th, 2025 (Monday).
If we do not receive written concerns or objections by that date, we will proceed under the good faith assumption that the village has no objection to this limited, non-commercial initiative.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Chris Yamamoto
10) Public Hearing (February 18th 2025, 6:30pm)
The village mischaracterized our proposal as "outside commercial use." The Barrington Hills Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) voted unanimously against adopting the proposed text amendment.
After months of trying to engage with the board and submitting two proposals, discussed at 2 public hearings, 2 BOT meetings, it became clear that the village was not willing to craft legislation for a special use permit. Despite our efforts to present a well-thought-out proposal that included provisions to limit the scope and scale, the board showed little interest.
We took a thoughtful, collaborative approach with the special use permit because we understood the importance of maintaining balance in Barrington Hills. Our second proposal was restrictive, limiting the properties that could even qualify for this type of agricultural experience, yet it was dismissed with little consideration. In fact, during the meeting where we were discussing the 2nd proposal, a ZBA member even proposed canceling the meeting because he didn’t think the proposal was worth discussing."
Given the lack of meaningful engagement, we decided to pursue a different path, one that aligns with the existing framework of agricultural use in Barrington Hills. By seeking a change in the definition of agriculture, we’re not introducing a new zoning category but simply clarifying how small, non-disruptive agricultural operations can function within the residential landscape.
9) Revised Proposal Submitted (January 30th, 2025)
In response to the village's request for clarification, we removed the section regarding conditions and requirements. We acknowledge the board may wish to discuss how agricultural sales fit within the village's existing framework. Rather than preemptively proposing additional regulatory sections, we believe it is more appropriate for the board to determine if any conditions are necessary as part of their review process.
8) Village Requests Clarification (January 29th, 2025)
Our proposal included conditions, and the village wanted us to specify where those conditions would live in the code.
7) Third Text Amendment Application (December 13th, 2024)
Application Submitted on 12/13/2024
We’ve submitted a new text amendment to clarify that agricultural sales fall within the scope of permitted agricultural activities.
You can view our submitted application below:
6) Trustee Vote (November 18th, 2024, 6:30pm)
The Barrington Hills Trustees voted against adopting the proposed text amendment. Their reasoning can be summarized as follows:
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"We are a residential community."
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Concern about potential legal challenges brought on by residents who may be unhappy with introducing a new provision to the code.
5) Public Hearing (November 12th, 2024 6:30pm)
We have been assigned a hearing date of November 12th, 2024, at 6:30 PM at the Barrington Hills Village Hall, located at: 112 Algonquin Rd, Barrington Hills, IL 60010.
How You Can Show Your Support:
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Provide In-Person Comment: Speak before the Zoning Board of Appeals at the Barrington Hills Village Hall on August 20th 2024.
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Submit a Written Comment: Share your thoughts with the board before 3pm, August 20th 2024.
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Spread the Word: Share this information with your friends and family
4) Second Text Amendment Application
Application Submitted on 9/30/2024
We’ve submitted a new text amendment to introduce 'Agricultural Experiences' as a special use in the R1 district. This proposal preserves the village’s character while promoting sustainable farming and addresses the concerns brought up during the last round.
You can view our submitted application below:
3) Trustee Vote - Text Amendment
(Updated August 26th, 2024)
The Barrington Hills Board of Trustees voted unanimously against our text amendment allowing public interaction with agriculture, a permitted use in the village, citing it wasn’t in the community’s best interest.
We designed the proposal to be broad, so anyone in Barrington Hills could benefit. The special use permit would have given the village control, approving applications on a case-by-case basis to align with community values.
We encourage everyone to listen to the meeting audio to understand the discussions.
2) Public Hearing - Text Amendment (8/20/2024)
(Updated July 30th, 2024)
We have been assigned a hearing date of August 20th, 2024, at 6:30 PM at the Barrington Hills Village Hall, located at: 112 Algonquin Rd, Barrington Hills, IL 60010.
How You Can Show Your Support:
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Provide In-Person Comment: Speak before the Zoning Board of Appeals at the Barrington Hills Village Hall on August 20th 2024.
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Submit a Written Comment: Share your thoughts with the board before 3pm, August 20th 2024.
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Spread the Word: Share this information with your friends and family
(Updated August 20th, 2024)
Results: The Zoning Board of Appeals voted (2 aye, 4 no in favor of the text amendment) and concluded that the proposal was "Not in the interest of the public and solely in the interest of the applicant."
97% of written comments submitted were in support.
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133 public comments were submitted.
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129 were in support.
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4 were in opposition.
84% of all comments were in support.
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11 Barrington Hills residents testified in support.
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5 community members testified in support.
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3 Barrington Hills residents testified in opposition.
We encourage everyone to listen to the meeting audio below to hear the discussions firsthand. The ZBA findings of fact can be found in the August 26th 2024 Trustee meeting agenda packet (see pg. 82 to 87).
The proposal now moves to the Barrington Hills Board of Trustees for a vote on Monday, August 26th, at 6:30 PM at the Barrington Hills Village Hall, 112 Algonquin Rd, Barrington, IL.
1) Text Amendment Application
Application Submitted! (Updated July 15th, 2024)
We’ve submitted a text amendment application to the Barrington Hills village code, proposing 'Agritourism' as a special use in the R1 district. This allows us to preserve the village’s character while opening doors for sustainable farming. The special use permit ensures the village can control the scale and scope of agritourism to align with community values.
View our submitted application below:
0) Our Journey: From Opening To Forced Closure
Little Ducky Flower Farm began as a personal project, inspired by the garden we had cultivated in Connecticut. As we settled into our new property, we explored the zoning ordinance and proactively reached out to Village Hall for clarity. We shared our plans, made several visits to discuss in person, and submitted a formal written request to confirm that a U-pick flower farm would comply with agricultural use. The email chain is attached below:
On May 19th, 2024, we received a cease and desist letter from the Village of Barrington Hills, citing our U-pick flower operation as outdoor retail. This came as a surprise, as we had no prior indication that our use was not permitted. The village’s letter is attached here:
After receiving the letter, we met with the village administrator and code enforcement officer to discuss next steps. Two key actions were identified: applying for a text amendment to allow this use and clarifying which aspects of our operation could continue. In the following months, we tried to work with village officials, and sought guidance from the Cook County and Illinois Farm Bureaus to draft a compliant text amendment, while continuing to build and maintain a sustainable, community-focused farm.