Burr Ridge Denies Family's Gate Request

BURR RIDGE, IL – In a divided vote, the Burr Ridge Village Board this week rejected a driveway gate and fence for a couple who said they wanted to keep their small children safe.

In early 2023, Burr Ridge residents Rey and Haley Zaffar bought a nearly 30-year-old house in the 6300 block of South County Line Road for $1.3 million.

Their neighbors have gates and front yard fences. But the village only allows those things for lots that are at least 2 acres, more than the Zaffars' 1.2 acres.

The Zaffars said they have a hardship because of their children, one of whom has a learning disability. They said they wanted their children to play without fear of them running into traffic on a major street.

Haley Zaffar also noted a nearby "lovely pack of coyotes" that likes to hang around their new trees out front.

In May, the bus was dropping off her daughter when she saw a coyote.

"She screamed, and if I did not grab her, her instinct was to run into the street," Haley Zaffar said. "We're also situated on the top of a hill, which also makes for very poor visibility."

The backyard is at an incline and mainly an area for drainage, making it a bad place for children to play, the Zaffars said.

The village code allows exceptions to its zoning rules if hardships exist. But officials said hardships run with the land and are unrelated to an owner's personal circumstances.

Trustee Guy Franzese asked the Zaffars whether they knew they would need an exception to the code – known as a variance – when they bought the property.

Rey Zaffar said he did. But he said he figured a gate and front yard fence would be allowed given that his neighbors had them.

"It just looks like it should be there," he said.

Mayor Gary Grasso said the village would like to make the situation work for the Zaffars. But he said the couple knew about the issue before buying the property.

"I don't know if it's our role to agree to fix the problem they created by buying the property," the mayor said.

In a last-ditch effort to get the village's approval, Rey Zaffar said they were already under contract to buy the house when they discovered the problem.

Zaffar, a longtime Burr Ridge resident, said the alternative was to break out of the contract and lose $50,000 in earnest money.

"I went forward and decided to go this route," he said.

The board voted 4-2 against the Zaffars' request. Trustees Franzese, Al Paveza, Anita Mital and Russell Smith were in the majority. The dissenters were Tony Schiappa and Joe Snyder.

The Village Board last looked at the gate issue for the Zaffars in October. The village's Plan Commission had spent much of the last year on the request, ultimately recommending against it.