Pat Kennedy: Strong Words to the 2030 Plan Commission!

Good Evening,

I’m Patricia Kennedy, 20712 Streit Road, rural Harvard. I am speaking as a resident, a tax payer, a voter and as someone who cares deeply for this county and people who live here. I must speak to you this evening directly and openly.

First off, Chairman Eldridge, I want to thank you for your consideration of the public when you gave the public an opportunity to speak to all of you at both the beginning and the ending of each meeting. I think that was thoughtful and wise. Thank you.

Next, I want to speak of a P&D committee meeting that I was at a few years ago. The Imagine McHenry County group had just made a presentation and the Chair of the Committee spoke in strong support of the concept and the survey that was about to be initiated. She said with great conviction and pleasure that the results of that survey would be the corner stone, the bedrock, that the 2030 Plan would be built on. This was later supported at a County Board meeting.

However, most of this commission has ignored that survey. You have also almost completely ignored the many comments made to you when the text of the Plan draft was presented to the public a short time ago. And as of your last meeting you have almost completely ignored what the people ask of you on their review of the presentation of the Land Use Plan Map and the Land Use Plan Map chapter. In fact, some of you have ridiculed people who made comments and used the wrong words simply because they are unfamiliar with the terms. You understood what they were saying, but chose to mock them instead. How Dare You.

The public has spoken to you time after time, and time after time the majority of you have refused to listen to them. A few of you have listened and have upheld your duty to represent the huge majority of the people and of good planning precepts. To those few, I am Very grateful.

A few of you put together thoughtful, well reasoned, and reflective chapters, followed good planning practices and were also guided by what the people of this County requested. The rest of you seemed to be listening to - Well, how can I say, I probably shouldn’t say. You certainly WERE NOT following good planning practices or the huge majority of the public or the municipalities. The majority of you chose to use population projections as the basis of this Plan - And you chose to bring together your Own numbers. Although neighboring counties have been and are using NIPC (now CMAP) population projections and our own Department of Transportation largely uses those same projections YOU chose to make up your own. You also chose to project a continuation of the recent few years, ignore national trends created by the current deep recession and experts’ opinions that the economy will not rebound into the same type and scope of development it left behind. The years that you used had unprecedentedly rapid car-culture growth that sprawled into the countryside. How short sighted.

Some of you have helped to put together excellent work and then apparently did not have the courage to stand behind that work. In some cases you have argued for what “your clients would accept”. That is shocking, disappointing and something that I hope you will correct in the future.

Speaking to the majority of you, you have betrayed the trust of the people, ignored what they have ask of you time after time and appear to be serving a tiny minority rather the huge majority. That is despicable and unforgivable. It is my desire that your positions and actions on this plan be made known to as many people as possible and as quickly as possible. May your children and grandchildren forgive you for they will certainly have to pay for the bad decisions you are making here tonight.

Thank you, Chairman Eldridge.

Evert Evertsen, Hartland Township Supervisor: Remarks to the 2030 Plan Commission

Why you should vote down the 2030 Plan you worked so hard at.

The 2030 Plan Commission lost its credibility when it permitted the open use of a Plat book in the planning discussion process. Who owns land should not influence how any government plans Land use but it clearly did time after time.

The 2030 Plan Commission lost its credibility when comments by commission members indicated they worked for clients in the county through the use of the term “my clients” during discussion.

The 2030 Plan Commission lost its credibility when the citizens adamantly requested the protection of our agriculture and our water supply but the commission like a locomotive without an engineer continued down the track of: --WE MUST ACCOMMODATE ANOTHER 222,000 PEOPLE -- WE MUST PLAN WITHIN THE UNINCORPORATED AREAS OF THE COUNTY FOR INDUSTRY! Commission members stated they had no choice but to ignore constraints of water and or agriculture because they had to meet development requirements for 222,000 more people.

The 2030 Plan Commission lost its credibility when time after time the submitted plans of municipalities and townships were ignored if it did not meet the requirements of the previously described locomotive.

To resolve this I request you vote no on this plan.

Commission Sends Plan on to Planning and Development Committee

The 2030 Plan Commission last evening voted 11 to 1 to approve and send the plan on to the next stage, the Planning and Development Committee of the County Board. The single NO vote was Ron Bauman, the only farmer on the commission, who said the plan did not do enough to protect farmland. We thank Ron for standing up for his convictions. The plan will be presented to the County Board at their meeting next Tuesday morning, and Planning and Development will hold a series of meetings to discuss it. Schedule will be posted here as soon as it's confirmed. They still can make changes, as can the county board with amendments from the floor on voting day. So stay tuned and keep you comments coming. County Board email addresses:
County Board 2009
AMMiller@co.mchenry.il.us, mmarco@aol.com, RXBless@co.mchenry.il.us, YMBarnes@co.mchenry.il.us, JLHeisler@co.mchenry.il.us, JSBreeden@co.mchenry.il.us, kdkoehler@co.mchenry.il.us, BMWheeler@co.mchenry.il.us, EJDvorak@co.mchenry.il.us, KBSchmidt@co.mchenry.il.us, MLDonner@co.mchenry.il.us, JDHammerand@co.mchenry.il.us, PJMerkel@co.mchenry.il.us, SFSalgado@co.mchenry.il.us, SXDraffkorn@co.mchenry.il.us, JPKennedy@co.mchenry.il.us, PEYensen@co.mchenry.il.us, TRHill@co.mchenry.il.us, countyboard@co.mchenry.il.us, DPRyan@co.mchenry.il.us, ecschuster@co.mchenry.il.us, MTMcCann@co.mchenry.il.us, RXDonley@co.mchenry.il.us

“… anybody who said 'Don’t rezone this property,’ I eliminated from consideration."

Did you think your 2030 plan commission was listening to you?

Your 2030 Planning Commission has held the first of three meetings to review the comments you submitted on the Land Use Chapter and Map. Some minor changes (that are probably big changes to those individual requesting them) were made, but the major issues addressed in your comments - population projections and resource protection - were not addressed. They moved some things around on the map, but did not eliminate any of the sprawl. One notable change is the removal of the large industrial area northwest of Woodstock and its replacement south of Marengo. The large amounts of estate (1-5 acre) designation remain intact to encourage development in the middle of farmland where the lack of roads, utilities and services will increase taxes for all of us.

Among the many quotable quotes from the RPC over the past two years is the new one in the title of this post. The statement was in response to some of your comments where you used the word "zone" instead of the word "plan". The complete quote is:

"Many, many of the comments that I read and heard that related to these (areas under discussion) dealt with zoning and anybody who said 'Don't rezone this property,’ I eliminated from consideration."

The next meeting of the Plan Commission is Tuesday, Oct. 27 at 6 pm, but please verify the time if you go. They will review comments that pertain to the text of the 2030 Land Use Chapter. There may be one more meeting and then the plan goes to the Planning and Development Committee of the County Board before it goes to the full board.

Planning and Development can make changes. Maybe they will be better listeners. The following County Board members are on the P&D Committee: Lynn Orphal, (815) 455-0303; Mary Donner,(815) 459-5954; Tina Hill (Chair),(815) 347-4222; Marc Munaretto, (815) 385-5590; Sue Draffkorn (815)653-6057; Randy Donley, (815) 790-9435; Ersel Schuster, (815) 338-2207. Hill and Orphal are up for reelection in 2010. They will be discussing the plan at 9 am on November 11, at the County Building on Ware Rd. Please attend and tell them what you want in YOUR County Plan.

Hartland Township and Bull Valley: Respect Our Plans!

Hartland Township Supervisor Evert Evertsen has graciously consented to allow the Alliance to publish Hartland's Motion and Resolution to the 2030 Planning Commission. Complete with detailed references, Hartland makes a clear and concise argument for better protection of water and farmland in their township.

Follow the link at the bottom to read the actual documents.


SUMMARY OF HARTLAND TOWNSHIP RESPONSE TO DRAFT 2030 LAND USE

Ø Hartland Township requested that their 2010 Land Use PLAN, updated in 2005, be used for their input to the 2030 McHenry County Land Use Plan.
Ø Any increase in McHenry County population will negatively impact the availability of potable water in the over-developed eastern portion of the county.
Ø Increased population will elevate the demand for “black roads” which will require the increased use of ice melting materials.
Ø Current areas Zoned as Agricultural, currently shown in yellow and orange, should be colored as Agricultural on the map – not with other colors.
Ø Areas zoned as Estate should be colored as Estate.
Ø Golf Courses should all be colored the same.
Ø Water is mentioned in the PLAN 80 times yet Industrial areas are being planned for areas which are prone to flooding and are placed in areas susceptible to aquifer contamination.
Ø The proposed Plan Draft contains the word Land 412 times and the word farm 161 times but Agricultural land is planned to be reduced by 33.54 to 35.45 percent.
Ø The proposed Plan contains the word “people” only 17 times but the premise that there will be a population increase of 70 percent is consistent throughout the Plan.
Ø We cannot stress enough the need to fill current empty Office and factory space:
Ø No new development should be planned for outside the 1.5 mile zone encompassing current incorporated municipal boundaries.
Ø Open question: What caused the reduction in the acres of Government/Institutions/Utilities and Open Space? (Article H)

THE VILLAGE OF BULL VALLEY has submitted a Resolution requesting the 2030 Plan Commission to remove the "Estate" designation they have surrounded the Village with and return it to and "Agriculture" designation.
The areas in question currently are in a sensitive aquifer recharge area. The Village wants it to remain Agriculture for as long as possible, but it is designated in the Village plan to eventually be estate development of no less than five acres.
The county defines "Estate" as one to five acres, setting up an inherent conflict where a developer can leverage county against Village to defeat the Village's right to self-determination in planning.

TO READ THE SUPPORTING DOCUMENTATION ON BOTH RESOLUTIONS CLICK HERE

IMPORTANT READING: 2030 Land Use Map and Land Use Plan are now available for public review!

Here is the information from the 2030 Plan web site:
“A draft of the Land Use section of the 2030 Plan was reviewed by the RPC at its September 24 meeting. As a result of that review, a final draft version has been produced. This version, along with the Future Land Use map, will be the subject of the public Open House meetings Friday, October 9 from 1 pm - 5 pm and Saturday, October 10 from 9 am - 2 pm at the McHenry County Adminstration Building, 667 Ware Rd, Woodstock. The meetings will have an open-house format. Participants may arrive at any time and should anticipate spending one to one-and-a-half hours at the meeting.
The Land Use section and two maps are available for download here:
(Ed. note: I don't have the links here. Go to: www.mchenrycounty2030plan.com, click in the middle of the opening page, and you will find links to the documents. Paper copies may be available by calling the Planning and Zoning Department at the County, 815-334-4560.)

Comments on the Land Use section and map drafts will be accepted at the Open House. They can also be submitted via email to 2030plan@co.mchenry.il.us or in writing to McHenry County 2030 Plan, Department of Planning and Development, McHenry County Government Center, 2200 North Seminary Avenue, Woodstock, IL 60098. All comments must be received by 4:30 PM, Friday, October 16, 2009".

WHAT'S WRONG WITH THIS PLAN?

MCHENRY COUNTY 2030 LAND USE PLAN:
WHAT IS WRONG WITH IT?

The McHenry County 2030 Land Use Plan process is nearing completion. The plan and the plan map are both posted at www.mchenrycounty2030plan.com. The chapter on Land Use that explains the map will also be available on line by the time you read this.
Someone asked me, “What’s wrong with the plan?”

It starts out based on a wrong premise – an influx of 220,000 more people in the next 20 years. The Plan Commission statement is that “These people are coming, we have to make room”. That is faulty logic. Population growth should be a function of the plan not the reverse. Population growth only occurs if the infrastructure and zoning permit it. The plan commissioners should determine the optimum population based on the necessary farmland and water preservation necessary for the residents already here. Countries with fastest growing populations all have lower standards of living than countries with slow or no growth in population. Population growth is incompatible with environmental preservation. A too-high projection will result in setting aside more farmland than necessary for development, encourage sprawl and compromise our standard of living.

The plan is based on an outdated development model that encourages new growth to keep extending outward into open land and farmland. With a world-wide food shortage looming in the next twenty years and people in third world countries already dying from lack of clean drinking water, we must stop wasting our life-giving resources. Although the planners give lip service to the term “compact, contiguous development”, “in and around municipalities” a quick look at the map will show large blocks set aside for Office/Industrial, Estate, and Residential Development in unincorporated areas not adjacent to municipalities.

The dreaded map in the Economic Development chapter earlier draft, that showed half the land west of 47 set aside for gravel, retail and industrial has been removed. But it leaves behind the text that encourages those massive areas.

The plan promotes Conservation Design Development (CDD). The strength of CDD is that it operates to preserve sensitive lands that would otherwise be lost to pavement, short-grass lawns and rooftops, but it still puts development in the middle of the farmland. Somehow the County is under the misconception that CDD makes it all right to spot zone. It isn’t. In spite of all the good things it accomplishes, CDD is another form of dense development that belongs in municipalities.

No Land Use Plan should require existing residents to subsidize future residents, which is exactly what happens because spot zoning increases the need to expand infrastructure and services, increases taxes for existing residents.

The plan conflicts internally with itself. Chapters on Water Resources, Open Space and Agriculture are in conflict with Chapters on County Character (Housing Densities). Economic Development, and Infrastructure. One plan member made it clear, “.We are only preserving farmland until it is needed for something else”.

Preserving farmland does double duty as preserving water recharge. A 2006 report commissioned by the county predicted water shortages in several townships by 2030 and acknowledged that water shortages already exist in Algonquin Township. The use of the Sensitive Area Recharge Areas (SARA) study must be integral to land use planning. Although the Water Resources Chapter of the plan supports this idea, acceptance by county and municipal developers alike is lagging far behind. In one Plan Commission meeting a municipal official discussing future plans for a Civic Center development, noted that they were going ahead with plans in spite of a sensitive recharge area on the property.

And finally, the plan process is being driven by a controlling members’ voting bloc on the commission that has hijacked the process, developed this vision behind the scenes and manipulated the voting in many cases to push through their agenda. Each member on the bloc earns his living from development in some way. The plan does not represent the wishes of the county residents generally, much less the residents of District 6, the only District really affected by this plan.

The county cannot plan for land that is already in municipalities, it can only plan for unincorporated land, which is primarily in District 6. Of the 24 County Board members who will vote on this plan, only 4 represent unincorporated county residents in District 6. The other 20 represent municipalities primarily on the east side of the county that are rapidly outgrowing their resources due to poor planning.

Public viewing of the Land Use Map for this 2030 Plan is on Friday, October 9, from 1-6 pm and Saturday, October 10, from 9am -12 pm. Not a lot of time and it’s a holiday weekend. Written public comment can be tendered by Oct. 16, to the Planning and Development office of the County, on Ware Rd. There will be one or two more meetings of the Plan Commission to review the comments and make “appropriate” changes, and then the Plan goes to the P&D Committee for a final review before approval by the County Board.