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CMAP presents Housing Readiness plan to McHenry County, cites sharp price gains and limited starter homes
Summary
CMAP told McHenry County commissioners that rising home prices, sharply reduced listings and decades of low new construction have created a shortage of attainable homes; the agency offered a six-strategy Housing Readiness Plan and a 10-action checklist for municipalities and the county.
CMAP project manager Leese Ghubri told the McHenry County Public Health and Community Services committee on April 2 that CMAP’s year‑long Housing Readiness Initiative analyzed county housing supply, affordability and barriers to development and produced an action‑oriented plan for municipalities and the county.
"My name is Leese Ghubri. I—ve had the great privilege of being the project manager on the CMAP side for the last year," Ghubri said, introducing colleagues Michaela and Lilly and describing a plan and checklist intended to "remove barriers to housing development."
Michaela summarized key market findings from the study, citing Heartland Realtors data: "we found ... an almost 50% increase in home prices in the last 5 years," and "active listings have dropped 63% since 2020." She added that only about 7% of current county homes were built since 2010 and that more than 70% were built before 2000, creating a shortage of smaller, starter units and studio apartments that many local workers need.
CMAP—s presented analysis emphasized cost burden: many households earning roughly $50,000–$75,000 are spending more than 30% of income on housing, and lower‑wage jobs are often affordable only for studio units, which make up under 1% of county housing stock.
Lilly outlined the Housing Readiness Plan—and checklist, which groups actions under six strategies: communicate and engage with residents; review zoning and design standards; streamline development rules and processes; pursue funding and financing tools; coordinate land use, transportation and economic development; and provide implementation supports. Each checklist action includes an intended implementer and an estimated resource level; the plan also offers a "gold readiness" standard for jurisdictions to aim toward and a technical‑assistance application CMAP has opened.
The presentation also highlighted a spatial mismatch: CMAP found that roughly one in five county jobs sits near high‑frequency transit, but only about one in 10 homes does, which the analysts said points to opportunities near transit stations and for allowing more duplexes and triplexes in mixed‑use districts.
Committee members pressed CMAP on comparables and ADUs. Ghubri said Crystal Lake recently adopted an ADU ordinance allowing attached units such as basement or attic conversions, and CMAP staff said they would confirm whether Crystal Lake—requires owner‑occupancy.
County staff and board members framed the plan as a municipal‑driven work program with county support. "Municipalities facilitate the building of homes," said Scott Hennings, a steering‑committee member with transportation responsibilities, urging that the county support municipalities with tools, coordination and funding connections.
CMAP offered to share full documents with the committee; staff said the CMAP project will be presented to the full county board for next steps and recommended municipalities consider applying for CMAP technical assistance.
