Council approves Duiker School parking expansion with gated access, guardrail and fee reduction after neighborhood objections

The McHenry City Council on Feb. 3 approved a conditional use permit allowing School District 15 to expand parking behind Chauncey H. Duiker School and add a new access drive from Grove Avenue, with conditions including a district-owned gated entrance that must be open only during student drop-off and pickup and closed at other times.

The council also consolidated and reduced the district's three public hearing application fees to $950 total and required physical protections including a guardrail and landscape screening. The ordinance will be followed by a vacation of a portion of city right-of-way so the new lot sits wholly on district property, with an easement reserved for the city to access the gate and an adjacent lift station.

Council members debated the plan for more than an hour, including a lengthy public-comment period in which Grove Avenue neighbors expressed concern about nighttime access, proximity of the new parking to homes and whether a gate…