A growing number of Wilmette residents are organizing in opposition to a proposal to build a McDonalds restaurant in the 200 block of Skokie Blvd, the first fast food restaurant in the village.
Those opposed say a drive thru lane in the plan flies in the face of the villages sustainability and comprehensive plans.
The Wilmette Village Board is slated to take the matter up at its Jan. 9 meeting. The developer is seeking zoning variations and a special use to allow a drive thru lane on the property. The village’s Zoning Board of Appeals voted 4 to 3 to recommend approval of the application with a condition that the restaurant close at 10 p.m.
“We are the closest people to the site,” said Jacob Wallach, who has lived in the area for 38 years. “People who live around the site are going to be affected directly because we’re so close.”
He said concerned residents have started a petition on change.org which to date has about 241 signatures.
“We are urging the Board to decline McDonald’s application to operate a Drive-Thru restaurant at 200 Skokie Blvd in Wilmette,” the petition said.
Wallach said tentative plans submitted by the developer to the village show the restaurant could attract as many as 1,000 vehicles a day — many of which would be idling in the drive thru lane spewing exhaust fumes.
“Approving a drive thru at this location would be in direct opposition to Wilmette’s Greenest Region Compact Sustainability Plan, which was adopted by the Village Board of Trustees on Sept. 28, 2021,” the petition states.
Other concerns include increased traffic, light pollution and potential pests and litter as a result of the new restaurant.
“We’re also worried about property values going down and the changing of the character of the neighborhood,” said Wallach. “It will be the first fast food restaurant in Wilmette.”
The site was home to a Bakers Square restaurant before it suddenly closed in 2019. Last year, a proposal to build a new restaurant on the site themed on the movie “Caddy Shack”
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was scrapped after residents rallied against it.“Most of our residents understand that there should be something there,” Wallach said. “We don’t want an empty lot there but we don’t want a drive thru.”
He said residents are continuing to get signatures on their petition and have also started a letter-writing campaign asking the village board reconsider the village’s Zoning Board of Appeal’s decision. In addition he said he hopes concerned residents fill the Jan. 9 board meeting.
“We plan to get a large crowd out there,” he said.
Brian L. Cox is a freelance reporter with Pioneer Press.