McHenry reveals downtown plan

McHENRY – A downtown area plan for McHenry includes a possible bike path, a professional office campus, and multifamily town houses.

It also includes designated areas for developers to “maintain historic charm,” according to city documents. However, one of those historic areas is about to be bulldozed.

The future land-use plan, which the City Council will review during its meeting Monday night, covers the downtown area along Green Street between Waukegan Road and Pearl Street and then west to Riverside Drive.

And it’s at 1202 N. Riverside Drive that the Dobyns House, which last housed Joey T’s, sits. The demolition of the building is slated to happen any day now, after a February fire destroyed most of the interior.

Doug Martin, deputy city administrator, said that despite the demolition, officials still hoped to keep that area historic.

“[We want] to encourage something that would maybe be similar to the construction that was on the property, with similar architecture,” he said.

The plan is the third in a series of sub-area plans that previously dealt with the Main Street area and the Crystal Lake Road area.

“It’s a good way to take a closer look at specific areas of the city and put some thought into what we’d like to see there,” Martin said.

This specific sub-area plan still is in the preliminary stages, and the council will vote Monday night on whether to allow it to go to a public hearing before the Planning and Zoning Commission.

Even if it’s approved, none of the recommendations would be mandatory for developers.

Carol Chrisman, owner of The Trend Cellar on Green Street, said improvements that draw business downtown were welcome, as long as she and her fellow shop owners didn’t have to foot the bill.

“Anything that makes the community better is worth it,” she said. “But what’s the cost going to be?”

Specific figures for any of the improvements were not included in the plan.

Aside from historic areas along Riverside Drive and Green Street, the plan also shows town houses along the Riverwalk, an office campus along Route 120, and open space scattered throughout the area.

There’s also a future bike path, which would run along Riverside Drive. However, the concept still is in the preliminary stages, Martin stressed.

“We really didn’t get into the financing of it,” he said. “That was just kind of something that we’d like to see for this area in the future. How it gets built or who builds it has yet to be determined.”

Officials also hope to implement streetscape improvements, such as new sidewalks, landscaping, lighting, new signs and street furniture.

If you go

What: McHenry City Council meeting, where officials will discuss the downtown sub-area plan for the area along Green Street.

When: 7:30 p.m. Monday.

Where: City Hall, 333 S. Green St., McHenry.