Barrington Hills couple faces uphill battle to keep flower farm open to public

Little Ducky Flower Farm might have become too big for its own good.

Its online popularity recently caught the attention of Barrington Hills officials and some residents who demanded the pick-your-own flower operation be shut down.

Barrington Hills residents Chris Yamamoto and his wife, Sarah Gul, are fighting to maintain the farm’s operations and contend they merely want to engage with the community and share their passion for flowers and agriculture.

However, they are encountering resistance from village officials, the zoning board of appeals and some residents who argue the commercial operation compromises the village’s residential character.

In May, the village ordered the farm to cease operations, stating in a letter “your on-site, outdoor, retail business use of the property is strictly prohibited.”

Yamamoto said a village trustee had submitted a complaint to the village on behalf of an anonymous neighbor.

“It doesn’t create a pathway to turn Barrington Hills into the next Wisconsin Dells. It doesn’t create some Wild West where anybody in Barrington Hills can just do whatever they want on the property.”

—  Resident Matthew Blume

Since then, the couple has been trying to convince the village to change the zoning to allow them to operate. The village rejected their suggestion for a special use for “agritourism” in August. And last week, the ZBA turned down a proposal for “agricultural experiences.”

Yamamoto and Gul say they need to charge visitors to sustain operations.

Now they await a vote from the village board.

Located off Dundee Road, not far from village hall, the farm is difficult to find without a GPS. The driveway entrance offers no indication of the farm’s existence.

The 6.8-acre property is filled with flower beds. Sporadic bursts of orange and yellow can still be spotted amid the autumn leaves. Vegetables also grow here, including little green heirloom tomatoes.

Colorfully painted birdhouses dot the landscape on nearby trees; ducks strut about the property and sheep bleat to one another.

Around August 2022, Yamamoto, an engineer, and Gul, a doctor, began allowing visitors to pick flowers and roam the farm they initially bought to keep their 12 ducks.

“We give them a cup, a pair of scissors and they have access to the flowers,” he said. “We really started it just to meet our community initially. It was great. We met our neighbors.”

They discussed plans with neighbors as well.

“We invited them over, told them what we were trying to do,” Gul said.

Gul said the farm doesn’t run all day, since the couple also works. It was open from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and mornings and evenings on Saturdays and Sundays.

Yamamoto said visitors were charged to offset costs — for instance, during the spring it cost $28 per person to pick tulips. Visits were set up with an online appointment.

“They prepaid by how many flowers they were going to pick,” Gul said. “But I also limited the number of people per slot.”

The first season drew about 60 people. The second season, the number climbed to around 200.

Since receiving the cease-and-desist letter, Yamamoto said they’ve had to pivot to a flower-delivery service.

During Tuesday’s zoning board meeting, Yamamoto argued his proposal calls for “agricultural experiences that give our community a chance to connect with the land in a meaningful way.”

But skeptical board members took issue with the sale of product. One board member, John Gigerich, said allowing that would affect zoning across Barrington Hills.

Resident Kimberly Van Fossan said allowing the zoning amendment would set a dangerous precedent.

“Barrington Hills is such a unique community. We have to be absolutely vigilant if it is going to go forward in the same way that we have enjoyed it,” she said.

Concerns were also raised about traffic, especially along Dundee Road.

The proposal, however, had its defenders among neighbors.

“It doesn’t create a pathway to turn Barrington Hills into the next Wisconsin Dells,” resident Matthew Blume said. “It doesn’t create some Wild West where anybody in Barrington Hills can just do whatever they want on the property.”

Bona Heinsohn, director of governmental affairs and public relations with the Cook County Farm Bureau, testified on behalf of the farm as well.

“It’s not about commercialization,” she said. “It’s about sustainability of a way of life for this particular entity to survive as an agricultural experience. For this farm to survive, they need to be able to sell their product, which is flowers.”

https://www.dailyherald.com/20241116/news/barrington-hills-couple-faces-uphill-battle-to-keep-flower-farm-open-to-public/