OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Planning, Building, Zoning, and Environment Committee Meeting - April 8, 2026

Committee Meetings — Wednesday, April 8, 2026
BodyLake County, Illinois
SessionCommittee Meetings
DateWednesday, April 8, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:11:33

Transcript — Verbatim
0:12

Today is April 8th, 2026, and we welcome everybody to the Planning, Building, Zoning, and Environment Committee.

0:21

In addition to being able to attend in person, remote attendance has been made available to the public via Zoom at the link on the agenda.

0:29

This meeting is being recorded through Zoom.

0:32

Per County Board Rules and the Open Meetings Act, attendance via remote means is permitted for qualifying reasons as long as the majority of committee members are physically present, and we do have a quorum.

0:45

We have been notified in advance by members Schlick and Kenizhnik that they want to attend remotely for work reasons, and we've been notified in advance by Member Peterson that she wanted to attend remotely due to an illness.

1:05

So we a physical quorum is present, so they be they may be marked as present and are eligible to vote on matters before the committee today.

1:19

As a reminder to members attending remotely, please ensure your camera is on at all times.

1:26

All right.

1:39

And to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

1:50

Is there any addenda to the agenda?

1:53

Just open up.

1:55

Oh.

1:55

Can I get a roll call, please?

1:57

Yes.

1:57

Chair Altenberg?

1:58

Here.

1:59

Member Campos?

2:00

Member Frank?

2:02

Member Kniezek is not online yet.

2:09

She said here.

2:10

I think you're on mute, Linda.

2:13

Member Schlick is not online yet.

2:15

Member Wasick.

2:18

Okay.

2:19

Thank you.

2:20

Is there any addenda to the agenda?

2:23

No addenda to the agenda.

2:24

Do we have any public comment?

2:26

No public comment today.

2:28

Okay.

2:29

No chairs remarks today.

2:33

Any unfinished business?

2:34

No unfinished business.

2:36

Okay.

2:37

Can I get a motion for the consent agenda?

2:41

Motion by Member Campo, second by member Frank.

2:44

All in favor.

2:46

Aye.

2:47

Okay.

2:48

Motion passes.

2:49

We're moving on to 8.2.

2:52

Environmental sustainability.

2:55

We are welcoming Robin Halgram who is our sustainability programs manager.

3:03

And Jesse Altman, a policy analyst from CMAP.

3:11

Thanks for joining us.

3:13

So we have a presentation by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, CMAP, on the comprehensive climate action plan for Greater Chicago.

3:25

Welcome.

3:26

Good morning, everybody.

3:26

Robin Holgram, Sustainability Programs Manager.

3:29

And with me today is a guest from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, who's a policy analyst, Jesse Altman.

3:36

Today he'll be giving an informational presentation on the brand new comprehensive climate action plan for Greater Chicago, which identifies key actions needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from all major sources and align the Greater Chicago region with national net zero emission goals by 2050.

3:54

I currently represent Lake County on CMAP's Climate Committee, and I participated in both content working groups and a review of this plan as part of serving on that committee.

4:05

The Lake County Board Strategic Plan identifies sustainable environment as a strategic priority with the performance measure of enhancing climate resiliency through long-term planning.

4:17

This plan is designed to give each county in the Greater Chicago region specific recommendations for decarbonization at the community scale rather than only our own operations.

4:27

By relying on this in on this guidance by CMAP, Lake County can achieve large savings by avoiding the cost to develop a Lake County climate action plan.

4:37

And I'll also wish everybody a happy Earth Month.

4:39

Thank you.

4:42

All right.

4:44

Morning, everyone.

4:45

As Robin mentioned, my name is Jesse Altman.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Environmental Protection█████████████████████████████████████████████47%
Engineering And Infrastructure████████████████████████25%
Community Engagement████████████13%
Stormwater Management█████5%
Technology and Innovation████4%
Procedural██2%
Vehicle Fleet██2%
Transportation Safety█1%
Emergency Management█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Planning, Building, Zoning, and Environment Committee Meeting - April 8, 2026

The Planning, Building, Zoning, and Environment Committee of Lake County, Illinois, met on April 8, 2026, at 5:00 AM (UTC) to consider several items including a presentation on the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning (CMAP) comprehensive climate action plan, a new sustainable model ordinance engagement program, an emergency appropriation for a flood risk assessment project, and amendments to the unified development ordinance for logistics facilities. The meeting was held in person with remote attendance options via Zoom, and a quorum was present.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were made during the meeting.

Discussion Items

  • CMAP Comprehensive Climate Action Plan for Greater Chicago – Jesse Altman, policy analyst from CMAP, presented the plan, noting that the 13-county region produces about 152 million metric tons of CO2 equivalent annually, driven primarily by buildings and transportation. The plan sets a target of 80-85% reduction in emissions by 2050 compared to 2005 levels. Six core actions were highlighted: clean and modernize the grid, improve building efficiency, transition to clean heat, reimagine mobility (reduce VMT by 5% by 2035 and 16% by 2050), electrify vehicles (100% of new light-duty EVs by 2035), and decarbonize industry. Committee members discussed the role of data centers, the need for state-level legislative support, and the potential for Lake County to adopt stretch codes. CMAP and county staff will explore further collaboration.

  • Sustainable Model Ordinance Engagement Program – Robin Halgram, Sustainability Programs Manager, presented a program design to catalog and promote adoption of the county's sustainability regulations by other public entities. The program includes a master inventory of sustainable model ordinances (SMOs) hosted on the county website, notification of public partners, surveys to gauge interest, assistance with adoption, and tracking of adoptions. The inventory is ready for immediate upload. Committee members expressed strong support, noting that the program will serve as a communications tool and help municipalities adopt similar regulations.

  • Emergency Appropriation for Nippersine Creek Project – Sharon Osterby, water resources professional from SMC, presented a joint resolution authorizing an emergency appropriation of $41,043.83 for a structure-specific risk assessment in Grant Township and the Fox Lake area, funded through FEMA's Hazard Mitigation Grant Program and administered by IEMA. The project was originally requested in 2024 but funds were not carried over. The committee voted to approve the motion.

  • Ordinance Amending UDO for Logistics Facilities – Eric Wagner, PBD Director, and Natalia Fick, planner, presented amendments to Chapter 151 of the Lake County Code to establish specific standards for logistics facilities. The amendments add definitions for logistics facilities and warehouses, differentiate between small (≤50,000 sq ft) and large (>50,000 sq ft) facilities, impose setbacks for loading docks (250 ft from sensitive land uses for small, 500 ft for large), require operational and environmental impact analyses for large facilities, and mandate enhanced landscaping and transition areas. The ZBA approved the draft with one modification to clarify that logistics facilities are not data centers. The committee voted to approve the ordinance and forward it to the county board for final action on April 14, 2026.

  • Future Work on Data Centers – Eric Wagner informed the committee that a report on data center regulation best practices is expected in May or June 2026, given ongoing developments at the state and national levels.

Key Outcomes

  • Vote on Item 8.4 (Emergency Appropriation for Nippersine Creek Project): Motion carried by voice vote (all in favor).
  • Vote on Item 8.5 (UDO Amendments for Logistics Facilities): Motion carried by voice vote (all in favor). The ordinance will proceed to the Lake County Board for final action on April 14, 2026.
  • Next Meeting: The committee's next scheduled meeting is April 29, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Today is April 8th, 2026, and we welcome everybody to the Planning, Building, Zoning, and Environment Committee. In addition to being able to attend in person, remote attendance has been made available to the public via Zoom at the link on the agenda. This meeting is being recorded through Zoom. Per County Board Rules and the Open Meetings Act, attendance via remote means is permitted for qualifying reasons as long as the majority of committee members are physically present, and we do have a quorum. We have been notified in advance by members Schlick and Kenizhnik that they want to attend remotely for work reasons, and we've been notified in advance by Member Peterson that she wanted to attend remotely due to an illness. So we a physical quorum is present, so they be they may be marked as present and are eligible to vote on matters before the committee today. As a reminder to members attending remotely, please ensure your camera is on at all times. All right. And to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Is there any addenda to the agenda? Just open up. Oh. Can I get a roll call, please? Yes. Chair Altenberg? Here. Member Campos? Member Frank? Member Kniezek is not online yet. She said here. I think you're on mute, Linda. Member Schlick is not online yet. Member Wasick. Okay. Thank you. Is there any addenda to the agenda? No addenda to the agenda. Do we have any public comment? No public comment today. Okay. No chairs remarks today. Any unfinished business? No unfinished business. Okay. Can I get a motion for the consent agenda? Motion by Member Campo, second by member Frank. All in favor. Aye. Okay. Motion passes. We're moving on to 8.2. Environmental sustainability. We are welcoming Robin Halgram who is our sustainability programs manager. And Jesse Altman, a policy analyst from CMAP. Thanks for joining us. So we have a presentation by the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, CMAP, on the comprehensive climate action plan for Greater Chicago. Welcome. Good morning, everybody. Robin Holgram, Sustainability Programs Manager. And with me today is a guest from the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning, who's a policy analyst, Jesse Altman.

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