WHEELING, Ill. (CBS) — A Chicago-area company will open a gas station in the northwest suburb of Wheeling, but some citizens are holding back.
They talk about increasing traffic congestion and environmental concerns.
“We have a few hundred homes that will be affected, including condos, single-family homes and apartments,” Taylor said.
During a drive through Wheeling, Taylor does not hesitate to express his fear about what could happen to a deserted Clark gas station at Old Buffalo Grove and Hintz roads, on the border with Arlington Heights. The plans to offer require something that offers more than just a fuel station.
“It’s not mandatory in this area,” he said.
Taylor led an organization of neighbors who created a petition and posted symptoms in the yard, asking the Village of Wheeling to Gas N Wash for permission to move.
“We have beautiful condos. We’ve got great apartments, we’ve got great homes, we’ve got traffic,” Bryan Manning said. “We don’t want to upset him. “
Gas N Wash is a local company that already operates more than 20 facilities, mainly in the southern and southwest suburbs. The company now needs to build a fuel station, car wash, convenience store, and drive-thru service on-site.
“To me it’s an environmental fear,” Albrecht said.
At a meeting of the people’s plan-making commission on Wednesday afternoon, Gas N Wash’s vice president of finance, Alex Kugar, said, “We need to be spouses in any and every sense of the word. “
The company told the assembly that the proposed Wheeling Gas N Wash location will allow overnight parking for tractor-trailers, have a reduced number of diesel dispensers and offer other amenities preferred by truckers.
“They need showers. They need to do laundry. They need truck parking. They need a restaurant with table service. None of those amenities are here,” Kugar said. “This couldn’t be worse than being called a ‘truck stop’; be perceived as such. »
But some who live near the proposed project say they’re not for a new neighbor.
“It’s conducive to a community environment,” Taylor said.
“Listen to the locals who are here and their concerns,” Albrecht added.
Several Gas N Wash locations also have 24/7 gaming terminals. The licensing and approval of such hotels is a matter for the state of Illinois and is not being discussed at Wednesday night’s zoning board meeting.
The long-term fuel station is now in the hands of the Village of Wheeling board of directors, which will vote at an upcoming meeting.