Crystal Lake officials approve Habitat for Humanity project on McHenry Avenue

CRYSTAL LAKE – Habitat for Humanity of Northern Fox Valley plans to break ground in April on a nine-house development on South McHenry Avenue.

On Tuesday, the Crystal Lake City Council unanimously approved a preliminary and final plat of subdivision for a 2.94-acre parcel at 431 McHenry Ave., which currently is home to a farmhouse and two outbuildings. The majority of the lot, however, is a flat lawn.

“We are really looking forward to being in Crystal Lake,” Habitat for Humanity of Northern Fox Valley associate director Bill Klaves said.

Although the City Council had some concerns regarding the nine new driveways entering onto McHenry Avenue, Klaves said the project was received “very positively” by the city.

Habitat is working with Crystal Lake-based Korte Architecture to design homes that fit in with the rest of the neighborhood, both in size and in character.

The homes will have anywhere from 1,200 to 1,400 square feet, depending on the size and structure of the family that secures each home. A single mom with one child might get a home on the smaller side, while two parents with kids might get something larger.

Crystal Lake senior planner Elizabeth Maxwell said Habitat’s plan fits with the neighborhood.

“The lot sizes will be comparable or slightly larger [to what’s in the area],” Maxwell said. “The houses will be about the same size. It’ll seem like they were there the whole time.”

Maxwell said some people approached the city over the years interested in turning the property into a few houses or multifamily buildings, but those ideas never materialized.

The plan is to build the new community over a three-year period. Habitat expects to start construction in the spring. The farmhouse on the property previously was described by Klaves as “deteriorating.”

The homes primarily are built through volunteer labor supervised by professional builders, and the inner workings of the home are completed by licensed tradespeople.

In addition to a modest down payment and their monthly mortgage payments, the future homeowners invest 250 hours of their own labor – “sweat equity” – into building their houses.

Crystal Lake Mayor Aaron Shepley said it’s a wonderful project and “everyone needs a chance.”

“So often we see people talking about helping others in need,” Shepley said. “It’s nice to see Habitat doing that.”

Applications to acquire a house are accepted all the time, Klaves said. Interested parties can call the office at 847-836-1432 and express their desire to seek homeownership with Habitat for Humanity of Northern Fox Valley.