A couple in Barrington Hills is fighting to reopen their u-pick tulip farm after the village sent a cease and desist last May.
Chris Yamamoto and his wife, Sara Gul, opened Little Ducky Flower Farm in August 2022. They operated the u-pick for four seasons before the village received an anonymous complaint.
In the letter, the village cites zoning rules that prohibit retail business in a residential district.
“We believe public support is very, very strong,” Yamamoto said. “It still, unfortunately, needs changed zoning.”
Over the last year, the couple has requested zoning changes and special use permits, with restrictions, including operating seasonally and by appointment only. However, trustees have unanimously voted on three occasions.
“We also asked the village if we could do it for free, invite Barrington Hills residents, with no donations. They also rejected that idea.”
Yamamoto and Gul live on the farm and each have full time jobs. They care for sheep and ducks in their free time. Yamamoto, an aerospace engineer, says farming is fulfilling.
“They advertise agriculture heritage and equestrian history here. There’s plenty of horse farms, other people that raise livestock, other people that grow vegetables. It really is an agriculture community here,” Yamamoto said.
In a statement to NBC Chicago an administrator for the village of Barrington Hills said in part, it’s decisions have been based on the “far-reaching implications of the proposals, and not based solely in regard to any single property.”
“It was just a way for us to meet our community and create something special,” he said. “It helps folks put a face to the farmer. It’s fulfilling for other people but also very fulfilling for us to see people experiencing this and share this with our community here.”
The statement goes on to say, allowing one commercial u-pick flower operation “could also allow other similar outdoor commercial business operations to occur on every residential single-family property in the Village.”
Until there’s a resolution, Yamamoto and Gul are offering tulip bouquet delivery within eight miles of the farm and are working to open pop-up locations over the summer.
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