District 2 County Board member Carolyn Schofield discusses a township map of McHenry County, with Jim Hurley, administrative assistant, at an August 2015 task force meeting. (Photo by Gregory Harutunian/for Chronicle Media)

The McHenry County Board resolution approving its comprehensive plan for future direction, also left open the option to revisit the document five years later, should there be pressing trends requiring attention or certain items in need of deletion.

The April 2010 action spurred the “McHenry County 2030 and Beyond” initiative that put a focus and changeable template in place.

“It was through foresight of the board that we could revisit the comprehensive plan, and the process began late last year,’ said Darrell Moore, the project’s manager. “The population projections in 2010 were chosen with a midpoint number, out of several estimates. None of those population projections were fully accurate, even in the midst of the recession.

“The ability to have certain sections of the document rewritten is a good thing for the growth and direction of the county,” he said. “The original resolution stipulated a five-member panel, comprised of the county planning and development commission chair, two members of the county zoning board of appeals, and two members of the general public, one from east of Route 47, and the other from west of Route 47.”

A township map of McHenry County, part of the McHenry county 2030 and Beyond draft report which takes in all aspects of county life.

McHenry County 2030 And Beyond is a draft report that presents new data and eyes the implementation of policies meant to enhance the comprehensive plan, and its first update. Its intent was to guide land use, development, redevelopment, and the preservation of natural, water, and agricultural resources. The McHenry County Regional Planning Commission is leading the effort to review and update the plan.

District 2 County Board member Carolyn Schofield was instrumental in the update plans, while acting in her capacity as chairperson of the county’s Planning and Development Commission. “The board and others discussed the changes in the past census figures were significant, and whether those differences come today or tomorrow, the plan’s direction and focus should be there.

“The document should incorporate everything between now and 2030, and the philosophical changes are the increases in aging population numbers, and having something to reflect the millennials too,” she said. “Between all the different groups having questions, they found one thing could be important to all involved, a common ground. The focus and direction have to be there.

Although anticipated population changes have driven the review, an attempt to provide language in the document that was accessible and inclusive, and the ease of reading would “provide a measure of ownership” to current residents.

“What we wanted was to bring forward the 2030 documents and highlight some areas,” said Moore. “That concept was the four ‘big ideas’ to help keep us together and feel the investiture we have in the process.”

The four areas are: Let’s Make Our Communities Active, Healthy, and Green; Let’s Build On Our Strengths; Let’s Grow Smarter; and Let’s Expand Our Economy.

Each idea has attached methods of implementation that are “doable” through coordinated application of the “county’s municipalities, townships, businesses, institutions, and residents,” as delineated in a press release.

Moore noted that the website (www.co.mchenry.il.us/2030AndBeyond.com) has a draft copy of the document. A public hearing is scheduled for Sept. 27 at 6:30 PM, in Conference Room C, of the McHenry County Administration Building, located at 667 Ware Road in Woodstock.

“The hearing is for all the McHenry County residents, and an opportunity to view a presentation on the 2030 plan, and make comment,” said Schofield. “This is important for all of us, and helps to shape the future of our county.”