In pivot from shops, Woodstock Old Courthouse’s newest tenant is Leadership Greater McHenry County

Leadership Greater McHenry County is moving into the Old Courthouse in downtown Woodstock.

The organization, which is currently housed out of American Community Bank near the Woodstock Walmart on the southeast side of town, is going to move into part of the space vacated by Makity Make when the craft studio closed its doors last spring.

The other part of the former Makity Make space is now home to the Naturally McHenry County tourism bureau, which moved from the Hackett House in Huntley; that site is the future home of Huntley’s incubators.

Among the vacancies left in the Old Courthouse that the city is working to fill is the MobCraft Beer space, vacant since the brewery closed in November. The city recently put out a feeler about seeking a new tenant for the MobCraft space.

The City Council voted 6-1 Tuesday evening to approve the lease with Leadership Greater McHenry County, a leadership training and mentorship organization.

The lease started Wednesday, according to city records, and runs for five years. The first three months are free, with rent at $875 per month for the rest of the first year and increasing 3% each year after that.

Although there are options to extend the agreement after the five years are up, the rent payments for years six to 10 and 11 to 15 are listed as “TBD-as negotiated.”

Council member Bob Seegers said he was “steadfast” that taxpayers deserve the maximum return on the city’s investment in the Old Courthouse, which underwent an extensive renovation that was completed in 2023.

“I support this,” Seegers said, adding that LGMC is a solid and consistent rent payer.

Mayor Mike Turner said he liked that it is a five-year deal because it gives LGMC a “window and a runway and a ramp up,” and gives the city protection from market and usage changes.

Turner said LGMC is an “outstanding, dynamic organization,” and getting it into the building is a “slam dunk for me.”

He said there’s “lots of ideals” on what should go in the building, but it’s not how the market always works. He added that filling the first-floor space with retail shops has been more difficult than the city might have thought.

“We have adjusted our approach and found, you know, good quality partners in Naturally McHenry County and LGMC,” the mayor said.

Council member Melissa McMahon, who was the sole “no” vote, said she believes in LGMC’s mission but doesn’t feel like the Old Courthouse is a good place for it. The space is currently used as a community room, and with the Recreation Center being renovated, that might be a better use, McMahon said.

“This is a community building,” McMahon said of the Old Courthouse, adding that although “Leadership Greater McHenry County ... has great messages, the amount of people they reach is limited.”

Danielle Gulli, the city’s executive director of business development, is currently going through the LGMC program, and Heather Arnold, Woodstock’s marketing and communications coordinator, is an LGMC alum.

Marcy Piekos, the executive director for LGMC, said Wednesday that the organization is “thrilled with the move” and thrilled to be staying in Woodstock. LGMC, which celebrated its 20th anniversary in the fall, has always been in Woodstock, Piekos said.