McHenry County zoning board to forward impervious‑coverage variation for Sands Road warehouse expansion to County Board

At a McHenry County zoning hearing, members recommended forwarding an applicant’s variation request to allow higher impervious coverage for a warehouse expansion on Sands Road to the County Board, with a condition that “best management practices as outlined in the stormwater management ordinance shall be followed.”

The variation seeks to increase site impervious coverage from an original proposal of about 75% down to a revised plan showing approximately 67% coverage; county staff noted an administrative variation would allow up to 55% coverage. The applicant agreed to reduce proposed pavement (described in the hearing as a 7,000-square-foot reduction from the original proposal) and to a stormwater condition intended to address neighbors’ runoff concerns.

Neighbors at an earlier hearing raised concerns that runoff from the expanded pavement and roof area would flow down a steep slope toward a lower parcel owned by Crystal Lake Incorporated. The applicant’s civil engineer, Alex Strak, said the detention design is preliminary but that “the required volume would be 0.81 acre feet,” and that the available footprint would meet that volume only if a 3:1 side slope is used instead of the typical 4:1 slope. Strak said steeper side slopes are being requested as a variation to achieve the required detention volume in the constrained footprint.

County water‑resources staff (Stoyan, water resources manager) and planning staff (Kim, county planner) told the hearing they had discussed infiltration and recharge options with the applicant’s team and that an engineered design could concentrate recharge in a smaller area while maintaining overall groundwater recharge intent. Kim proposed a condition for the record that “best management practices as outlined in the stormwater management ordinance shall be followed,” and said final compliance would be verified during the building‑permit stormwater review.

The applicant (identified in the hearing as Mr. Wetzel, property owner) said the expansion is needed to retain a major tenant and to accommodate warehousing. He told the board one tenant “wants all the space as it comes available,” and that losing that tenant could force the business to relocate. On truck traffic, the applicant said he could not produce a precise forecast but that a warehouse manager estimated the increase would not be more than about 10 semis per week; the number was presented as an estimate rather than a measured count.

Neighbors also raised concerns about truck traffic using Sands Road and entering adjacent residential areas. County staff noted a 6‑ton limit on the road north of the commercial zone and said enforcement of route restrictions is separate from an individual property owner’s controls over truck routing.

Planning staff and the presiding board member discussed the standards for a variation, including whether the current owner had created the hardship. Staff said the lot’s small size and existing high impervious coverage are conventional reasons such expansions trigger variations. The presiding member said the proposed concessions and the added condition alleviated earlier concerns and that, with that condition, he would forward the matter to the County Board.

The board did not adopt a final approval at the hearing; the item was scheduled to be considered by the McHenry County Board on October 21. County staff described additional technical review at the building‑permit stage, including a stormwater management division review of the final detention/infiltration design.

Votes at the hearing itself (motions, movers, seconds, or roll‑call tallies) were not recorded in the transcript provided; the record shows the board concluded the public hearing and will forward the file to the County Board with the staff‑proposed condition.