McHenry council raises traffic, density and school-safety concerns, declines to advance Crystal Lake Road proposals

City council members gave mixed feedback on the Blackstone Realty and Cirillo Architecture concepts for the Crystal Lake Road parcel and concluded there was insufficient support to advance either concept at this time.

Alderman Glum said the linear nature of the parcel makes it inappropriate for piecemeal multifamily conversions and warned that approving one lot at a time would create a patchwork of development along Crystal Lake Road. "I just don't think, as far as for future development, this is kind of a roadblock," he said.

Several aldermen said they preferred the townhome option over the larger apartment concept. Alderman Dorey said the 24-unit townhome plan provided access to the nearby park and would be a good fit; Alderman Bany said it would expand housing availability without creating a larger neighborhood project. By contrast, Alderman Bassi said both concepts were "significantly too dense" for a parcel under two acres and highlighted that the site abuts a daycare (Kinder Care), and Alderman Cook said she would rather see single-family homes on the lot.

Alderman Miller urged caution because the proposed access would be "directly across from the entrance to the school," estimating roughly 48 additional cars and stressing school-day congestion and lack of traffic signals at the intersection. The presiding official summarized the discussion by saying there was not enough support to move forward and encouraged the developers to work with staff and consider other locations; no formal vote or motion was recorded on the designs during the meeting.

The discussion indicated traffic flow, school safety, density relative to neighborhood parcel sizes, and adjacency to childcare as the principal concerns council members want addressed before any formal application advances.