MCC wants to buy more land

McHenry County College is making an offer to buy a parcel of land that it has eyed for years to accommodate plans for expansion.

MCC President Vicky Smith said trustees Thursday night approved a $750,000 offer to buy 20 acres at 9010 Route 14 in Crystal Lake, just north of the college's Ring Road at the intersection of Route 14 and Lucas Road.

The college is working to create a new facility master plan, and that piece of property is “really important” to the college's future plans, Smith said.

“Truly, for us to be able to expand, we would need to have that piece of property,” she said.

The property, which belongs to GHM Trust, is listed at $3.1 million, Smith said. The flat, agricultural parcel is occupied by a small two-story house, currently rented out, and a couple of outbuildings, she said. The property owners have 30 days to respond to the offer, she said.

In December, the college received a letter from a real estate agent stating the land was for sale. “The board said we had been trying to obtain that for years, but we could never work it out with the owners,” Smith said.

The college commissioned two property appraisals, which in January came back at $700,000 and $750,000 each, she said.

The college's main campus is built on 169 acres. In early 2008, the college purchased 57 acres known as the Gilger property on the northeast end of campus. That property, however, has an awkward shape, and with the purchase of the additional 20 acres, expansion would be much easier, Smith said.

The college has 7,400 students, which represents a 30-percent increase in enrollment in the last two years, Smith said.