Being green can go far beyond the recycling bin and energy use. Will County is updating their zoning and building codes and wants public input.

Permit fee incentives may be suggested for green building projects such as installing a solar hot water heater or geothermal heating/cooling system. Putting on an addition for an elderly parent may have a more streamlined process. 

The changes proposed are cleaning up 30 years of edits impacting the unincorporated areas of Will County. They “are designed to streamline the zoning process, remove barriers to existing ordinances, eliminate needless provisions and redundancies, and adopt more energy-efficient policies,” according to Curt Paddock, Director of Will County’s Land Use Department.

The zoning and building codes determine what can be built, where and how. The public’s input in this effort regardless of where you live is desired.  Public workshops are being held at 6 p.m. today, Wednesday (Jan. 18) at the Will County Forest Preserve District’s Sugar Creek Administration Center, 17510 W. Laraway Road in Joliet, and on Thursday (Jan. 19) at 6 p.m. at the Frankfort Township office, 11000 W. Lincoln Highway in Frankfort.

You can view a draft of the proposed changes and make comments on them by visiting www.renewingwillcounty.com. Be part of this process. So often people feel they don’t have the time to attend meetings, but in this case, if you can’t attend, you can read and comment 24/7 through the website toDavid Dubois, director of the development review division of the county’s land-use department, at info@renewingwillcounty.com.

Thanks for your continued interest in all things Green in Will County!