Zoning Board of Appeals - Zoning Hearing, 11-12-26

The McHenry County Zoning Board of Appeals held a zoning hearing on November 12, 2026, on Application Z2612, a request by the Donald R. Gaver’s Trust and Sally J. Gaver’s Trust to renew Conditional Use Permit 20157 for Valley Aggregates’ existing gravel extraction and processing, concrete recycling, and ready-mix plant operations. The applicant described this as a continuation of current operations, with no new equipment or plant planned. Testimony covered mining progress and reclamation, groundwater monitoring, site drainage, and operating conditions; staff reported no known violations and said the reclamation estimate was acceptable. Reclamation financial assurance was discussed: staff cited an estimate of approximately $426,250, with a bond set at 1.5 times that amount, while earlier testimony cited $654,375 as the 1.5-times figure. The transcript contains this discrepancy.

The board voted 7–0 to recommend approval and forward the request to the County Board. Members discussed retaining existing conditions, including dust control and turtle-awareness signage, and clarifying the ready-mix plant height condition. No contract award, purchasing decision, or other procurement activity was identified.