HUNTLEY — Director of Development Services Charlie Nordman had previously presented trustees with conceptual plans brought forward by petitioner Kelley Williamson and Bakley Development, LLC for the construction of a 6,000-square-foot gas station/convenience store at the northwest corner of Route 47 and Noah Avenue.
The conceptual plans, which were reviewed by the Village Board on April 27, also included the addition of a Which Wich sandwich restaurant and a standalone car wash. Overall, trustees had a positive outlook for the new project and only requested a few changes to the original plans.
At the Oct. 12 Village Board meeting, Nordman presented the updates the petitioner made to the Planned Unit Development (PUD) plans based on feedback from the board. Those changes included the following:
The ATM was relocated from the parking lot to the interior of the building; a sidewalk was added across the Noah Drive frontage of the property; bike racks were relocated to the north side of the building to be adjacent to the Which Wich entrance and outdoor dining area; External Insulation and Finish Systems (EIFS) were removed from the roof gables and replaced with wood tone fiber cement siding; EIFS was removed from the standalone car wash and replaced with brick; gas pump canopy columns are now wrapped in stone and wood tone fiber cement siding to match the building; and landscaping was added along the north property line and at the rear of the building.
Nordman also explained that on Sept. 25, the Plan Commission had conducted a public hearing to consider the petitioner’s request. One resident testified in opposition to the request, with concerns primarily having to do with the location of the gas station in proximity to the Talamore Subdivision.
In the end, however, the Plan Commission voted in favor of the petitioner’s plan by a vote of five to zero subject to some conditions, according to the Village Board meeting agenda packet.
Following the presentation of the petitioner’s final plans, trustees had the opportunity to ask questions or voice concerns. Trustee Vito Benigno began by questioning the petitioner on their need for two standalone monument signs located on the north and south ends of the property.
Ryan Swanson, a representative for the petitioner’s engineering firm, Arc Design Resources, responded that the need for the two signs had to do with how the building would be centered in the development location. He added that the signs would assist in capturing the fast-moving traffic on Route 47.
“First of all, I just want to commend you on making the changes that [were] suggested by the board at that time,” stated Trustee John Piwko. Additionally, Piwko asked if it would be possible to move the monument sign on the south side of the property a bit to the west. The petitioners didn’t seem to mind complying with that request.
Trustee JR Westberg voiced his disappointment in the petitioner not taking his recommendation to change the façade of the building to look like a barn but also understood that the petitioner wanted to maintain a similar style to that of their other Kelley’s Market locations. Unlike the other trustees, Westberg was not against the two signs featured in the plans.
Similarly, to Benigno and Piwko, Trustee Ric Zydorowicz took issue with the monument signs, though he added that he was “getting more comfortable,” with the idea.
Last to speak was Trustee Ronda Goldman, who told the petitioner that she had changed her mind on most of the comments she had made to the conceptual plans at the April 27 Village Board meeting.
“I was worried about it because we have to have, which is more important than anything else, we have to have a gas station [in the] north,” said Goldman. “I’m concerned there’s only one way in and one way out on [Route] 47, but that’s the way the land is structured and I think that people will notice it. They have been asking for [a] gas station north. I mean we don’t have anything between here and Woodstock so to speak. So, bring it on.”
The motion for an ordinance approving special use permits for the gas station and car wash and approving the final PUD, including any necessary relief was passed unanimously among the trustees in attendance.
