Nearly 600 homes proposed for new McHenry development, 1st of its kind in 20 years

It has been 20 years since a large single-family housing development has been proposed to the McHenry City Council, the city's director of community development said this week.

"This is cool. We have not seen this for awhile," Ross Polerecky said before home builder Lennar pitched its plan for 584 single family homes in McHenry .

The council also heard preliminary plans from VIK Remodel, Inc., to redevelop the former First Midwest Bank at Green and Elm streets into apartments with first-floor commercial space.

Neither proposal was up for an official vote of approval, but instead were preliminary ideas brought forth by developers seeking council input into the plans.

Lennar is eyeing 304 acres at Bull Valley and Curran roads on the far west side of McHenry. The land was annexed into McHenry in 2005, Polerecky said, but was never platted or developed.

Highlights for the development include several detention ponds, greenway space leading to active and passive parkland and bocce ball and pickleball courts, said Rich Olson of Gary R. Weber Associates, a landscape architecture company working with Lennar.

"The site has quite a bit of topography along Boone Creek. We are going to preserve that natural resources on the site," Olson said, but noted the company will have to work with state agencies to determine how to allow residents to cross over the creek that feeds into the Fox River.

Of the total acreage, about 30% will be dedicated green space, Olson added. The homes planned there include two- and three-bedroom options with two- and three-car garages and "a lot of things homeowners are looking for" while attempting to stay affordable, Rick Murphy of Lennar said.

"Affordability is a problem across the country. This is our answer to that," he said, adding they were looking to keep prices in the $200,000 range, but with some in the $400,000 range.

Council members asked whether the development would include homeowner associations, which Murphy said would be needed for maintenance on the site. The monthly fees for their existing property HOAs are about $100 a month, he added.

Alderwoman Chris Bassi, 4th Ward, questioned the pickleball courts. According to s she has read, "the decibel level is similar to a gun range" and provided Murphy with news s outlining those issues.

Second Ward Alderman Andy Glab warned Murphy and Olson away from having a clubhouse that for which residents may not want to pay maintenance, and away from offering any single-car garage homes in the total development.

Separately, Viktor Kniazevych of VIK Remodel presented a few details of a plan to redevelop the bank buiilding at 3510 W Elm Street/Route 120. The bank has been closed for several years, recent proposals for the site have included a gas station and a drive-thru coffee shop.

Kniazevych is proposing a mixed-used development with 28 two- and three-bedroom apartments and 12,000 square feet of non-restaurant commercial space on the first floor. He requested the council consider providing $2.5 million in tax-increment financing toward the development.

Council members were concerned about whether there would be enough parking on the site for both renters and possible commercial uses. There are 75 spaces on the site now, said Doug Martin, economic development director, and Kniazevych is looking into whether underground parking could be added at the site.

It seems like a risky project to promise TIF financing to, Glab said.

"I look at this and I think it takes a lot of courage to tackle this building without tearing it down" and start fresh, Glab said. "I am open to looking at it, but ... it is a hard sell for $2.5 million."

Alderwoman Sue Miller, 7th Ward, said she'd need to see more of the financials before she could support the TIF request. "Bring us a concept we can look at ... I am not opposed to it I just need to see more."