Main Street Sub-Area Plan

MAIN STREET SUB-AREA PLAN City of McHenry Prepared by: Deputy City Administrator Douglas Martin, AICP City Planner, Kimberly Kolner Joe Napolitano, former Community Development Director Adopted by the City Council on September 15, 2008 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ CITY OF McHENRY ox he F t of t Hear Mayor Susan E. Low Aldermen: Ward 1: Vic Santi Ward 2: Andrew Glab Ward 3: Jeffrey Schaefer Ward 4: Steven Murgatroyd Ward 5: Richard Wimmer Ward 6: Robert Peterson Ward 7: Geri Condon City Clerk: Janice Jones Treasurer: David Welter Administrator: Doug Maxeiner For Additional Information, contact the City Planner or Deputy City Administrator ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 2 City of McHenry Main Street Sub-Area Plan Table of Contents Introduction Plan Intent ......................................................................................................... 4 Planning Process ............................................................................................... 6 Existing Conditions ....................................................................................... 8 Existing Land Use and Comprehensive Plan Designation ............................. 8 Existing Zoning ................................................................................................. 8 Existing Transportation Improvements .......................................................... 9 Existing Parking ............................................................................................... 9 Metra Station Commuter Rail Station ............................................................. 11 Plan Guidelines .................................................................................... 12 Overall Goal ....................................................................................................... 12 Objectives of the Plan ....................................................................................... 12 Transportation Objectives ............................................................................... 13 Land Use Objectives .......................................................................................... 13 Transportation Planning .................................................................................. 15 Land Use Planning............................................................................................ 18 Conclusion ............................................................................................. 19 List of Exhibits and Figure Exhibit A, Sub-Area Boundary Map .............................................................................. 5 Exhibit B, Existing Land Use Map ................................................................................ 7 Exhibit C, Current McHenry Train Spur Connection .................................................. 11 Exhibit D, Public Parking Main Street Sub-Area ........................................................ 10 Exhibit E, Proposed Transportation Improvements ................................................... 16 Exhibit F, Proposed Land Use Map .............................................................................. 20 Figure 1, Main Street Sub-Area Boundary ................................................................... 4 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 3 City of McHenry Main Street Sub-Area Plan Introduction Plan Intent In keeping with the City’s Official Comprehensive Plan, the City of McHenry is developing Sub-Area Plans for certain unique areas within our planning jurisdiction. A Sub-Area Plan provides a guiding vision for future development of a specific area or neighborhood within a larger region. This Sub-Area Plan has identified the Main Street area as a unique area in need of more detailed planning study. Plan Area Figure 1, Main Street Sub-Area Boundary The Sub-Area Plan will combine the need for services including retail and public transportation and the desire to preserve the historic character into a mixed-use redevelopment area. This Sub-Area will be established around the existing Metra site. Stretching from the McHenry Public Library on the south up to the industrial area along Borden Street and North Drive to the north; including properties along the east side of Front Street (IL Route 31) over to Crystal Lake Road on the west. The Main Street Sub-Area is a mix of uses, primarily non-residential. The area has remnants of a typical suburban downtown including a former lumber yard and industrial land uses, along with historic storefronts. It also includes highway-oriented development along Elm Street (IL Route 120). At the heart of the sub-area is the Metra Commuter Rail Station which provides daily train service to downtown Chicago. This Plan is intended to provide a detailed blueprint for future development in the Main Street Sub-Area. The text will provide the City with the necessary tools to ensure that the area redevelops in accordance with the City’s desired goals and objectives. The result will be a vibrant, thriving area having a mix of desirable uses, ample parking and an aesthetically pleasing, pedestrian-friendly environment. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 4 Boundary Map E l m S t r eet City of McHenry Clearbrook Main Street Sub-Area Plan North Drive t. S Crystal Lake Road n West Street e M rd M i i l o l l l B s S t r t e r a e Main Street m e t Crestwood Street D r . L o C ga a l l n i s t a South Street S t I L r S e R t e o r u t e t e e t W s t e a 12 tre u 0 S k /3 ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ e 1 Ponca Street g t a n n ro F R o a J d o ) h tra n e M ( R S R Meadowlane t P r U Avenue e e t J a m e s S t r e e t IL Route 31 Kane Avenue 5 Center Street Exhibit A City of McHenry Main Street Sub-Area Plan Planning Process In May of 2006, the Community Development Committee started discussing the Main Street Sub-Area. There were several reasons for selecting this area for more detailed study: 1. Existing Underutilized Properties. The Sub-Area includes several intense land uses that at one time flourished because of their proximity to the train tracks. Today, these uses, while still viable, are no longer considered appropriate in a downtown environment. 2. Separation from Riverside Drive and Green Street Downtown Areas. Main Street is physically separated from the two other downtown areas (Riverside Drive and Green Street). A Sub-Area Plan can provide suggestions and the means for providing connectivity between these areas. The Committee established the boundaries of the Sub-Area, defined the overall goal of the plan and a developed a preliminary list of policies and objectives. Property owners in the Sub-Area were invited to an open house to review the City’s goals for the Plan and to provide input to Staff. From these comments, the Committee and Staff were able to refine the goals and objectives. Another open house was held for the public to have an additional opportunity to review the complete text and maps of the Main Street Sub-Area Plan. In order to attract as many people as possible to the open house, an ad was placed in the local newspaper and on the City’s website. In addition, a flyer advertising the open house was posted at the McHenry Public Library and draft copies of the plan were left for review at the Municipal Center and McHenry Public Library. Finally, all of the people who attended the first open house were contacted to see if they wanted to return. At that meeting, tentative dates for the rest of the process were given so these people could follow the project to completion. The Plan was presented to the City Council for direction to go to the Planning and Zoning Commission for a public hearing and subsequent recommendation, after which, the Plan was submitted back to the City Council for final review and approval. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 6 City of McHenry Main Street Sub-Area Plan Existing Land Use Map BROOKSIDE TRAIL NORTH DR. WEST AVE. EL FREUND FIELD M . ST T RE S E T N E D R O B 120 E. RT IL WHISPERING OAKS PARK WAU KEG AN RD. T E . D RE R T S E MA IN K A S T T. L N L A O T R S F Y M IL R L C S T . J LEGEND CENTER Proposed Main Street STREET PARK Sub-Area Boundary SF Residential MF Residential ) A Office R T Commercial E M ( Industrial Municipal Parking R R C Institutional P U Park LIBRARY IL IL Vacant Train Station MCCD Bike Path ______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________Exhibit B 7 City of McHenry Main Street Sub-Area Plan Existing Conditions Existing Land Uses As previously indicated, the Main Street Sub-Area contains many uses which are very intense and no longer conducive or compatible with a downtown environment, meaning they do not meet certain criteria that would typically be attributed to a downtown business, including: pedestrian-oriented and generating pedestrian (foot) traffic, retail/restaurant, businesses with hours extending beyond the typical nine to five workday, non-automobile reliant, etc . An intense use is one that may have adverse

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