Woodstock Plan Commission Meeting Summary – January 26, 2026

The Woodstock Plan Commission met on January 26, 2026, for continued public hearings. Commissioners approved the agenda and the December 11 regular meeting minutes, approved a special use permit/planned unit development for a shipping-container accessory structure, approved a commercial planned development and final plat for 2050 South Eastwood Drive, and received a presentation on a proposed annexation/mining expansion that was continued with no vote.

Note: The transcript's opening roll call contains an apparent reference to "Thursday, January 15, 2026," but this summary uses the provided meeting date of January 26, 2026.

Consent Calendar

• Meeting was reconvened by roll call; the agenda was approved as presented.
• Minutes of the December 11 regular meeting were accepted as presented with no requested amendments.

Public Comments & Testimony

• For the shipping-container accessory structure hearing, Mike Phillips asked where the structure would be placed and whether it would remove limited parking. The petitioner replied that it would go behind the restaurant in an area used for outdoor activities and would not eliminate parking spaces. A city staff representative also clarified that the petitioner must meet parking ordinance requirements because no parking variance was requested.
• No public testimony was offered on the 2050 South Eastwood Drive item.
• During the mining/rezoning presentation, audience members repeatedly interrupted; the chair warned about order and called for a recess. No formal public testimony was taken on that item before it was continued.

Discussion Items

Shipping-Container Accessory Structure (continued)

• The continued request sought approval of a special use permit/planned unit development for an accessory structure made from modified shipping containers at 10 Volume Lake Avenue (as transcribed) for Redmill Tavern restroom support.
• Petitioner representatives said they were willing to add barn wood to the exterior to better match the principal structure.
• Commissioner Paul stated a strong objection to allowing shipping-container uses because containers are not permitted in any city zoning classification; he said the cost comparison to stick-built construction was the only reason he would reconsider and asked for more material specifications.
• The petitioner responded that neighboring properties include a large number of junk vehicles, that the ordinance is about 60 years old, and that he would make the exterior resemble the building, stage, and bar.
• The chair proposed a condition limiting the containers' use to the uses shown in the submitted plans and prohibiting use as storage. The petitioner agreed not to store materials in or on the containers.
• Staff indicated comfort with reviewing the petitioner's proposed exterior materials.
• The commission voted to recommend approval with conditions, including life-safety compliance, exterior materials matching the principal structure to the greatest extent possible, and use limited to the submitted plans. Commissioner Paul voted no.

Commercial Planned Development at 2050 South Eastwood Drive (continued)

• The continued request involved the formerly Lake Marine Boat Sales and Repair / Woodstock Harley-Davidson / Woolhan Lumber site, a roughly 34-acre property zoned B5 with a 44,000-square-foot building that has been vacant about two years.
• The proposal was to divide the existing building into a Goodwill store and indoor self-storage, create a one-acre outlot for future retail or auto-service-with-retail development, and subdivide the property into two lots.
• Because resale, self-storage, and auto-service uses are prohibited in B5, a planned unit development was required. Staff found the uses consistent with the comprehensive plan, an adaptive reuse of a vacant building, and not detrimental to neighboring uses.
• The applicant initially sought a lot-coverage modification from 50% to 82%. During discussion, the applicant said it would accept staff's recommended condition and a future outlot user could request a variance if needed.
• The applicant also wanted to add outdoor vehicle/RV storage in outbuildings, but staff did not support that use; any additional storage would have to be considered after the retail outlot is developed.
• Goodwill's representative said Goodwill is a 501(c)(3) serving 18 counties out of Rockford, helping more than 25,000 individuals with barriers to employment, and that the donation area would be attended, from 8 a.m. until about 6 or 7 p.m., with a typical busy day of about 100 donations.
• Commissioners discussed auto service options, stormwater/flooding review, the donation drive-through, and why a PUD is preferable to rezoning to D3. The chair added a condition requiring a written description and revised plan for recreational-vehicle storage within the outbuildings.
• The commission voted unanimously to recommend approval of the special use permit and final plat of subdivision, subject to conditions including completion of engineering-review comments, sequencing of self-storage after retail development, site/setback deviations, and the RV-storage plan condition.

Land Reserves LLC / Super Aggregates Annexation and Mining Expansion (continued)

• Jack Peace of Land Reserves LLC presented a proposal to annex approximately 160 acres north of U.S. Highway 14, west of Lily Pond Road, and south of McConnell Road; rezone it from A-1 agricultural (unincorporated McHenry County) to M-1 light industrial; and obtain special use permits for mining/extraction and asphalt/ready-mix/rock-crushing operations as an expansion of the existing Super Aggregates gravel facility.
• Peace argued that local aggregate supplies are scarce, stating that McHenry County had more than 30 operating gravel pits 30 years ago and now has about 10. He gave examples of projects forced to import aggregate from Boone/Winnebago counties or Wisconsin, resulting in more truck traffic.
• He described existing site improvements: processing 750 feet from residences, berms and pine plantings along Lily Pond Road, paved access roads, a 16-acre clear lake, and plans for an 85-acre lake to the north. The petitioner offered public tours the following Saturday from 9 to 11 a.m.
• He proposed donating about 107 acres to the city after restoration, including the lake, beach, pedestrian path, and a potential tunnel under the railroad to connect to the city's landlocked 28-acre oak savanna.
• He estimated financial benefits to Woodstock of more than $10 million over 15 years, including royalties of $50,000 to $54,000 per year, roughly $100,000 per year in sales tax, and past local bid savings such as $1.1 million on the city's roundabout project.
• He also rebutted concerns about silica dust, groundwater contamination, vibrations, property values, and truck safety. During the presentation, audience members interrupted and the chair called for a recess. Staff requested a continuation because documents and public comments were still being received and a staff report was not complete. The commission did not vote on the rezoning or special use permits.

Key Outcomes

• Approved and recommended to the city council the special use permit/planned unit development for the shipping-container accessory structure at Redmill Tavern, with conditions; Commissioner Paul dissented.
• Approved and recommended to the city council the special use permit and preliminary/final plat for the 2050 South Eastwood Drive commercial redevelopment, with conditions; vote was unanimous.
• Continued the Land Reserves LLC / Super Aggregates annexation, rezoning, and special use permit request to a future meeting with no vote.