Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Horse Racing Plans Shot Down in McHenry County

June 25, 2007

McHenry County's Zoning Board of Appeals, siding with neighbors who complained of large crowds and loud music, overwhelmingly rejected today a DuPage County man's request for a permit to hold the fair-like events on his 29-acre site on West Union Road, just east of Route 20.

“The property is far too small to accommodate what the petitioner is trying to do here,” board member Elizabeth Scherer said. “He is trying to do too much with too little land at the expense of everyone around him.”

The land’s owner, Wood Dale real estate broker and thoroughbred owner Hernan Rivera, declined comment after the vote. His attorney, Melissa Wick, said they have made no decision whether to take the permit request to the full county board, which makes the final call on zoning issues.

“A 7-0 vote is pretty difficult to overcome,” Wick admitted.

Rivera is seeking a conditional-use permit from the county to host the races on the first and third Sundays between March and November at his Del Sol Training Center. The fair-like events would feature horses running one-on-one in quarter-mile races, training sessions, live music and food sales. Three similar events held last year with a temporary permit drew crowds as large as 700. They also raised the ire of dozens of Rivera’s neighbors, who said the events featured local traffic jams, window-rattling music and public intoxication. In some instances, neighbors said, Rivera’s patrons walked into their property to relieve themselves.

To address those concerns, Rivera agreed to 22 conditions as part of his permit request, including bans on alcohol and gambling on the property, hiring licensed security or off-duty police officers during the races and barring any amplification of music. But despite those conditions, Rivera was unable to win over any zoning board members.

“I don’t think this is a bad idea, but I don’t think this is the right location for this kind of use,” board member Neil Parker said. Others questioned whether Rivera could keep his promise to keep alcohol and gambling off the premises

“This is hard to believe,” Ervin Staveteig said. “That is why horse racing is performed.”