Public comments sought for McHenry’s 2050 comprehensive plan

Residents who want a say in how McHenry develops between now and 2050 are asked to attend one of three community workshops and complete a community survey to provide their thoughts.

“It is OK to stop by and spend 10 minutes or two hours” at McHenry City Hall for any of the three interactive sessions asking resident input for “designs certain areas of town,” said Ross Polerecky, director of community development.

Input from those sessions will help city staff update McHenry’s comprehensive plan. Once completed, the plan becomes a road map for how McHenry should develop into the future, Polerecky said.

It is also a legal document, said Cody Sheriff, McHenry’s principal planner. “When a zoning change happens, it is a part of the legal process.”

The last comprehensive plan was approved in 2008. Overall, Sheriff said, the McHenry of today is “probably pretty consistent” with what that plan called for.

Now is the time for residents to tell the city “what you want your city to be, your vision for how and where we are going to go” from now forward, he said.

The workshop sessions are set for 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Nov. 28, 29 and 30 at McHenry City Hall, 333 S. Green Street. Residents are asked to attend any that work into their schedules, but the meetings do have different topics set for each night.

The Tuesday, Nov. 28, session is titled “Explore: initial concepts for opportunity sites identified by the community.” On Wednesday, Nov. 29, the topic is “Refine: concepts for opportunity sites that were presented on Night #1.” The final session on Thursday, Nov. 30, will look at “Review: preferred concepts for opportunity sites and learn about next steps.”

Areas the city wants to focus on for this plan include what to do with sites ripe for redevelopment - like the former Kmart 1900 N. Richmond Road or the areas west of the Main Street Metra Station, Sheriff said.

Sites not yet developed but ripe for future projects include Bull Valley Road/Charles J, Miller Parkway, and Chapel Hill Road, Sheriff said.

“We will outline and identify all of our developable areas,” Polerecky said.

In addition to the community session, the city also has an online survey to help collect more resident input. That survey, and a place to leave online comments with the city, can be found at mchenry2050.com.