Manhattan Township Property Owners Secure Zoning P&Z Approvals for Pole Barn Addition, Parcel Consolidation

Will County Planning and Zoning Commission Meeting | April 7, 2026

Article Summary: The Will County Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved two separate zoning requests in Manhattan Township, granting a variance for a resident to expand an accessory pole barn for RV storage, and approving a map amendment to consolidate a split-zoned 11-acre residential and agricultural property.

Manhattan Township Zoning Key Points:

• Bob and Kimberly Witt were granted Variance #V-26-015 to exceed the maximum accessory building area at their Schoolhouse Road property, allowing a 48×36-foot addition to an existing pole barn to store an RV.

• Will County Board Member Judy Ogalla formally supported the Witt variance, helping overcome a staff recommendation for denial.

• George and Ruby Roemer secured Map Amendment #M-25-014 to rezone 2.5 acres from E-2 to A-1, fixing a split-zoned 11-acre parcel on Pauling Road.

• The Roemer property also received three setback variances to bring existing structures, built in 1976, into full zoning compliance.

On Tuesday, April 7, 2026, the Will County Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved a pair of zoning requests from Manhattan Township property owners, resolving both a need for expanded vehicle storage and a decades-old parcel boundary issue.

The first case involved Bob and Kimberly Witt, owners of 23706 Schoolhouse Road. The applicants requested Variance #V-26-015 to exceed the county’s maximum accessory building area on their 2.5-acre E-2 (Estate Residential) zoned property.

According to the staff report presented by Land Use Planner Marguerite Kenny, the Witts sought to build a 48×36-foot addition onto an existing 1,440-square-foot pole barn. The addition brings the property’s total accessory building area to 3,755 square feet, exceeding the 3,000-square-foot limit. Staff originally recommended denial of the variance, noting that the property lacked physical constraints and the request was “merely a personal preference to exceed the limit.”

However, attorney Heather Glacker of Castle Law, representing the Witts, argued that the property’s size and characteristics justified the flexibility. She noted that the addition was specifically needed to move a large RV indoors.

“It’s for an RV that is otherwise being stored outside, which according to the staff report picture looks like it’s almost the exact same length of the building, which would make it very hard to get in the building in its current shape,” Glacker confirmed to the commission.

Glacker also informed the commission that District 2 Will County Board Member Judy Ogalla supported the variance. “She does live close to the property… she understands the layout of the area over there. She is in support of granting this variance,” Glacker stated.

With no objectors present, the commission unanimously approved the variance.

In a separate Manhattan Township case, the commission unanimously approved Zoning Case #ZC-25-098 for George and Ruby Roemer of 11952 W. Pauling Road. The applicants requested Map Amendment #M-25-014 to rezone a 2.5-acre portion of their land from E-2 (Estate Residential) to A-1 (Agricultural), alongside three related setback variances (#V-25-166, #V-25-167, and #V-25-168).

According to Land Use Planner Jesus Briseno, the map amendment allows the Roemers to consolidate an existing home, adjacent farm buildings, and agricultural land into a single 11-acre parcel. Without the rezoning, the newly created parcel would be illegally “split-zoned” between E-2 and A-1.

The accompanying variances were required because the existing home and a barn, which have been on the property since approximately 1976, do not meet the A-1 zoning district’s strict setback requirements. The variances reduced the street yard setback on Pauling Road from 100 feet to 20 feet, the side yard setback from 50 feet to 35 feet, and the street yard setback on Scheer Road from 100 feet to 63 feet.

Because the structures were already existing and the variances simply brought the consolidated parcel into legal compliance, staff recommended approval. The commission passed the map amendment and all three variances without opposition.