ZBA chair challenged by area developer
The developer of the Garfield project is questioning the village president’s motivation in appointing Tom Nelson as chairman of the Hinsdale Zoning Board of Appeals.
Nelson, who was absent from the first of three public hearings on the village manager’s decision to grant the developer more time for constructing the Garfield development, was appointed chairman of the board in July. Nelson, a retired attorney, was not previously a member of the board before village President Michael Woerner picked him to lead the group.
At the ZBA’s public hearing July 20, an attorney representing Anno Domini, a development entity that includes The Gammonley Group, called Nelson an outspoken critic of the Garfield project and asked that Nelson reveal if he gave time or money to any Garfield opposition group. Developer Richard Gammonley echoed his attorney’s concerns.
“The timing of the village president’s selection, and his decision to appoint him as chairman, is disingenuous,” Gammonley said in a press release.
His decision to appoint Nelson after former chairman Paul Anglin resigned had nothing to do with the Garfield project, Woerner said. Although the ZBA has more senior members, none has the time and the knowledge of law and the zoning code that Nelson does, Woerner said.
“In all the research I did and the people I talked to, Tom Nelson was the single best person to run the ZBA looking out over the next several years,” Woerner said. “There can’t be too many people in town that know our zoning code and the law in regards to zoning better than Tom.”
Woerner said he also chose Nelson because of his vision for what he wants to see the ZBA become in the coming years. He said the board members could have been helpful to trustees as they began the process of deliberating the Garfield I and II projects. The ZBA could research village zoning code and advise the village board, Woerner added.
“When you read the law as it’s stated, this ZBA can be so much more than what we’ve used them for,” he said. “They’re there and nobody even knows they exist.”
Woerner said he has no evidence that Nelson was a member of a Garfield opposition group, not is he part of any lawsuit related to the downtown development. Woerner added Nelson’s integrity impresses him.
“He has had opinions on – not just Garfield – but other projects in town.” Woerner said. “Because somebody is well-read and outspoken, that should not exclude him from the job
“I asked Tom if he could be fair and open-minded, he told me he could, and I believe him,” Woerner added.
Nelson did not return The Doings’ phone calls.
The ZBA is scheduled to meet Wednesday, Aug. 17. The meeting will be dedicated to the continued Garfield public hearing.