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player ready...QuikTrip Corp. is investing in a second gas station and convenience store in Elgin, this one on McLean Boulevard.
The Planning and Zoning Commission heard a proposal Monday evening from the Tulsa, Oklahoma -based company to subdivide an 11.7-acre property on the southeast corner of S. McLean Boulevard and Fleetwood Drive into three lots.
A QuickTrip gas station with eight double-sided fueling islands and a convenience store will be built on the first lot. The second lot would be available for future development, likely a restaurant. “The third lot would remain open space because it’s a wetland area, said Senior Planner Damir Latinovic.
The property is part of a larger 27.5-acre area that includes Buena Vista apartments and townhomes on Fleetwood Drive. Elgin Fire Department Station No. 4 is adjacent to the property. There are two other gas stations, a Mobile and a Circle K, across the street from the property. The Elgin Sports Complex, on Sports Way, is located south of the site.
QuikTrip is building a gas station and convenience store at 1700 N. Randall Road, just south of Interstate 90, that is set to open Thursday.
The company, founded in 1958, is consistently in the top five favorite convenience stores in the American Customer Satisfaction Index. It has about 1,000 stores in 17 states, according to its website. QuikTrip donates 5% of its net profits to charitable organizations in the communities it serves, the site stated.
Its latest proposal includes a 6,500-square-foot convenience store open 24 hours a day, selling general merchandise, food, and packaged liquor, Latinovic said at the P&Z meeting.
QuikTrip Corporation, as the applicant, and Buena Vista Apartments, LP, as the property owner, are requesting a rezoning that would make the property a planned neighborhood business district and a conditional use approval. The application also asks for some exceptions to city code, including using an underground stormwater retention system.
Under the proposal, the company would build new public sidewalks along S. McLean and a portion of Fleetwood. The south side of Fleetwood doesn’t currently have a sidewalk.
A full-access entrance would be on Fleetwood Drive and a right-in-right-out entrance on McLean Boulevard, Latinovic said. The traffic lights at the intersection will be improved to help traffic flow, he said.
About 470 trees would be removed, a majority of which are not in good condition, Latinovic said. The plans call for 87 new trees to be planted if there is enough space on the site, he said. Elgin requires a certain number of trees to be planted, or developers must pay a fee.
A study the company submitted found that QuikTrip wouldn’t create all new traffic, Latinovic said. A majority of the traffic would be diverted from existing traffic on surrounding roadways, the study found. Elgin’s own traffic consultant reviewed the study, he said.
Latinovic said the study didn’t take into account traffic generated from the future connection to Sports Way. The connection is expected to be completed when the second lot is developed, he said.
Monday’s meeting included a public hearing where one Buena Vista resident spoke out against the plan.
Diane Hargrave-Jones said she is concerned about the traffic. The fire department often has a hard time exiting the station because of the heavy traffic, she said. There are also a lot of people in the middle of the street, she said.
“I’m not exaggerating. It’s a mess,” Hargrave-Jones said.
Latinovic said the Elgin Fire Department had no concerns about the project.
Hargrave-Jones also feels another gas station isn’t needed in the area. “This is just too many gas stations,” she said.
She has a breathing problem. She feels gas stations are dangerous for those with health issues. “I don’t want to breathe gas fumes when they load up the tanks. I don’t want to breathe car exhaust. I have a right to breathe clean air, and so does everyone else,” Hargrave-Jones said.
Ali Bukhres, QuikTrip’s project director, said gasoline is heavily regulated and there are systems to make sure air quality is safe.
“We do our due diligence to make sure everyone is safe, not only for our neighbors but also for our employees,” Bukhres said.
The commission voted 4-1 to recommend the proposal to the city council, which will vote on it at an upcoming meeting.
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Commissioner Sam Olson voted no because he was concerned about traffic safety, especially on weekends, and the number of trees being removed.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.