Future of the Fox River: Burtons Bridge to Johnsburg

The Fox River Corridor Plan was adopted by the McHenry County Board on February 15, 2022, and the McHenry City Council on April 5, 2022. The final plan is available for download here and on the right hand side of your screen under Related Documents.

The Fox River Corridor Plan was revised in December 2021 based on feedback received during the public comment period. You can find it here or under the Related Documents on the right of this page.

The McHenry County Department of Planning and Development and the City of McHenry Department of Economic Development will be taking the Fox River Corridor Plan to their respective elected bodies for adoption in February 2022.

The plan will first be presented the County’s Planning, Environment, and Development (PED) Committee on Tuesday, February 1, at 8:30am. It will then be brought to the County’s Board for adoption on February 15. The City of McHenry aims to present the Plan to their City Council for adoption on Tuesday, February 22, at 7:30pm.

The County’s PED meeting on February 1 and the City of McHenry’s City Council meeting on February 22 are open to public comment.

More updates will be forthcoming!

McHenry County and the City of McHenry, in partnership with CMAP, will host two virtual public open houses via Zoom for the draft Fox River Corridor Plan. Meetings will be held on Tuesday, November 2, 2021, from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon and 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. in the evening.

The plan presents a unified vision for the Fox River Corridor, spanning from Burtons Bridge to the south and Johnsburg at North Chapel Hill Road bridge to the north. It identifies strategies to spur economic investment, protect natural resources, enhance recreational amenities, improve bicycle and pedestrian access, and promote local and regional collaboration.

Attend an open house for the opportunity to review and provide feedback on the draft plan. Local residents, business owners, community leaders, and other interested stakeholders are encouraged to participate!

Plan Review Open House (afternoon option)

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

2:00 to 4:00 p.m.

Click here to register for Zoom meeting

Plan Review Open House (evening option)

Tuesday, November 2, 2021

7:00 to 9:00 p.m.

Click here to register for Zoom meeting

Download and share our meeting flyers under Related Documents (to the right of the home webpage) to help spread the word!

Thank you for participating! This survey is now closed.

The visioning survey for the Fox River Corridor will be closing on Wednesday, March 10!

If you'd like to fill it out but haven't done so yet, now's your chance! You can take the survey by clicking on the 'Take A Survey' tab in the middle of this webpage or by using this link: https://engage.cmap.illinois.gov/fox-river-mchenry/survey_tools/visioning-survey.

The survey will help us understand your vision for the Corridor and give you the opportunity to share your ideas about potential strategies and actions that the plan should consider.

We look forward to your responses!

The Existing Conditions Report is now available!

This Existing Conditions Report provides an overview of the current conditions within the Fox River Corridor planning study area. The report conveys key issues and opportunities that have emerged from the culmination of research, analysis, and public outreach activities. Developing an accurate understanding of the existing conditions impacting the study area is essential for creating an appropriate and effective plan that reflects the values of Holiday Hills, Johnsburg, McHenry, Prairie Grove, as well as unincorporated McHenry County.

Building on the Corridor Profile, this report incorporates the expert knowledge and viewpoints of key stakeholders who live, work, and recreate in the Corridor. A full summary of the project’s outreach efforts can be found under Chapter 2, and detailed summaries of the key issues and opportunities that were identified can be found under Chapter 3. Chapter 4 summarizes the priority challenges and opportunities that emerged and flagged as topics that should be looked at further as the plan is developed.

The report was presented to the Steering Committee in December 2020. Committee members gave feedback and the report was revised accordingly. Information compiled in this report, alongside input received through the visioning workshops, will be used to prepare a shared vision and craft recommendations that will be presented in the Fox River Corridor Plan.

Online surveys

A public survey and interactive mapping exercise were open to the public between October 8 and November 27, 2020 and received over 110 responses. A summary of the survey results can be found under the Related Documents widget.

Open houses

McHenry County and the City of McHenry, in partnership with CMAP, held two virtual public open houses via Zoom for the Fox River Corridor Plan on Tuesday, November 10 and Thursday, November 12, 2020. Each open house gave members of the Fox River community an opportunity to discuss the strengths and challenges of the Fox River study area. After a brief overview of the project, participants broke out into small groups to discuss two of the following topics: Economic development, environmental quality, parks and recreation, and transportation.

All input received during these group discussions will inform the Existing Conditions Report and help craft a comprehensive plan that includes strategies and actions for communities in the Fox River study area to realize their long-term vision for the corridor. Summaries of each meeting can be found under the Related Documents widget or using the links below:

• Open house summary - November 10
• Open house summary - November 12

The Fox River is one of the region's greatest public assets. Historically, it has played a major role in shaping the region’s landscape, both natural and developed, but today its full potential remains unrealized.

The study area for this planning project spans five communities, conservation areas, nature preserves, and parks over a distance of eight miles from Burtons Bridge at Route 176 on the south end to North Chapel Hill Road in Johnsburg on the north end. Municipalities within the study area include McHenry, Johnsburg, Holiday Hills, and Prairie Grove.

The project builds on the foundation of two previous Fox River Corridor plans—one for Villages of Algonquin and Carpentersville(External link) (completed in December 2015) and another for McHenry and Lake Counties(External link) (completed in September 2018). However, this project is ultimately a blank slate upon which priorities can emerge through the planning process.

The map of the study area can also be found under the Related Documents widget on the right-hand side of the main page.