McHenry County

Update: The subarea study was approved by the McHenry County Board in November 2012.

In 2011, the McHenry County Department of Planning and Development applied for assistance to study several of the County's unincorporated waterfront areas. Many of these waterfront areas developed in the 1920s as collections of small lots intended as summer homes. Consequently, when current County zoning requirements are considered, many of these properties are substandard and out of compliance. Homeowners in these areas face a daunting task when performing minor upgrades or routine maintenance, as they are often faced with obtaining variances before even the smallest of projects are undertaken. Other concerns in relation to many of the County's unincorporated waterfront areas include right-of-way widths, recurrent flooding of properties and structures built in the floodzone, impacts to water quality, and road conditions and ownership. The study offerd zoning recommendations the County can use to address these issues and ease the potential burden of property owners.