A press release from the McHenry County Board:

McHenry County 2030 And Beyond

Woodstock, IL. McHenry County has initiated the review and update of the McHenry County 2030 Comprehensive Plan. The update process, dubbed McHenry County 2030 And Beyond is being led by a 5-member regional planning commission.

The commission started its review process in February and will submit its recommendations to the County Board by November. Possible recommendations to the County Board include:

• The 2030 Comprehensive Plan continues to provide appropriate policy direction for the county and no revisions are required at this time;

• The 2030 Comprehensive Plan requires limited revisions, which will be recommended by the commission; or

• The 2030 Comprehensive Plan requires major revisions and the County Board should appoint a larger commission and establish a multi-year work plan for the planning process.

In reviewing the 2030 Comprehensive Plan, the commission is focusing on county land use and demographic trends and emphasizing the county plans adopted since 2010, including the McHenry County 2040 Long Range Transportation Plan, Green Infrastructure Plan, Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy, and the Local Food Assessment.

Thus far, the commission has made several preliminary findings, including recommendations such as:

• A future major comprehensive plan update should integrate the county’s land use, transportation, and health planning;

• Due to the changing housing needs and preferences of both the aging population and Millennials, compact developments, with smaller lots and access to transportation are most desirable; and

• The Plan update should support greater coordination of activities to support local food production including a local food distribution hub and food cooperatives. The commission’s preliminary findings along with additional information about McHenry County 2030 And Beyond is available on the county website at: www.co.mchenry.il.us/2030AndBeyond.

All commission meetings are open to the public and the commission will be conducting a public open house meeting in June.

Additional information about the commission meetings and open house meeting are available on the project website.

The McHenry County 2030 Comprehensive Plan, was adopted by the county board in 2010.

The plan establishes a vision for McHenry County as well as a set of actionable goals and objectives that serve as a road map to realizing that vision.

It provides long-range policy recommendations for the development and redevelopment of the County’s built form and physical assets as well as for the maintenance and enhancement of the County’s valued natural resources.

Additional information about the plan is available on the county website at: www.co.mchenry.il.us/Planning.

The McHenry County Regional Planning Commission was established by the County Board in accordance with Illinois state statute.

The regional planning commission serves as a fact-finding and advisory body to gather statistics and prepare a plan.

The commission consists of five members:

• the Chairperson of the County Board Planning and Development Committee
• two members of the McHenry County Zoning Board of Appeals
• one public member residing east of Rt. 47
• public member residing west of Rt. 47.

The Director of Planning and Development serves as an ex-officio member of the commission. More information about the Regional Planning Commission is available on the project website.

Additional information is available by contacting project manager Darrell Moore at dnmoore@co.mchenry.il.us or 815.334.4549.