UPDATE: The Crystal Lake Transportation Plan has been adopted by the City of Crystal Lake and is now available for download!

The City of Crystal Lake, located in southeast McHenry County, traces its origins to two separate communities founded around the railroad system that linked residents to Chicago. Today numerous commuters travel via the Union Pacific Northwest Metra rail line and also rely heavily on the City's streets to get to their final destinations. To plan for continued livability, the City's 2030 Comprehensive Plan seeks to provide a transportation system that safely and efficiently serves current and future land uses, including travel by road, rail, public transportation, bicycle, and foot. In order meet this goal, the City is developing a transportation master plan with strategies to make Crystal Lake streets safe for all users.

With support from CMAP's Local Technical Assistance (LTA) program, the transportation master plan was developed through a community-based process that reflects the interests and diverse needs of Crystal Lake. The intent of the plan is to outline the policies and strategies needed to ensure the transportation system serves the needs of all travelers. The plan builds upon the community's assets and identifies ways to support goals from the 2030 Crystal Lake Comprehensive Plan, as well as the GO TO 2040 comprehensive regional plan. The 2030 Comprehensive Plan specifically recommends reducing community reliance on automobiles and making transit, bicycling, and walking an easy transportation alternative for residents.

This planning process consisted of three main phases. The first phase involved a thorough analysis of the existing conditions within the community using information gathered through steering committee meetings, one-on-one stakeholder interviews, review of previous studies, and collection of maps and data. During the second phase, initial recommendations were created and vetted with the project's steering committee and city staff. The final phase included plan creation, community feedback, and plan adoption.

The public will have several opportunities to participate in the planning process. The City of Crystal Lake, in partnership with CMAP, embarked on a series of outreach meetings with local leadership, business representatives, and the community to solicit and incorporate local input into the planning process.

Public kick-off open house (July 16, 2014)
A public kick-off open house for the Crystal Lake Transportation Master Plan was held on Wednesday, July 16 from 3:00 to 7:00 p.m. at Crystal Lake's City Hall. In addition to learning about the planning process, more than 40 community residents and stakeholders provided information on the strengths and challenges of the city's transportation system. The ideas and suggestions that were generated by this activity are outlined in the summary of public kick-off open house results.

Public visioning workshop (June 24, 2015)
The Visioning Workshop of the Crystal Lake Transportation Planning Process was held on Wednesday, June 24 at 6:30 p.m. in the Park District's Park Place Banquet Hall. There were approximately 20 people in attendance, including several members of the steering committee. A brief summary of the agenda and information gathered at the meeting are summarized in the outcomes of the Visioning Workshop.

Public Open House meeting (September 18, 2017)
The third public meeting of the Crystal Lake Transportation Plan was held on Monday, September 18, 2017, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m. at the Crystal Lake City Hall. There were approximately 26 people in attendance, including several members of the steering committee. The goal of the meeting was to present the draft Transportation Plan recommendations and garner feedback from residents and stakeholders. A brief summary of the comments gathered at the meeting are summarized in the outcomes of the Public Open House.

Crystal Lake residents can shape transportation plan online, Northwest Herald, August 13, 2014.

Crystal Lake residents can shape transportation plan online, Suburban Life, August 13, 2014.

Residents make transportation wish list for Crystal Lake, Northwest Herald, July 16, 2014.

Crystal Lake seeks public input for transportation plan, Suburban Life, July 13, 2014.