Politics & Government

Speedway Station Slated for Rt. 30 and Renwick in Plainfield

Plans for a Gas City station at the same spot were scrapped after the owner filed for bankruptcy; now, a new project is in the works.

After sitting vacant for eight years, it looks like the corner of Route 30 and Renwick Road will be home to a gas station after all.

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  • Trustees voted 5 to 1 Monday in favor of a proposal by Speedway to build a gas station on 5.6 acres at the southeast corner of the intersection — the same site originally slated for a Gas City station and retail development known as Heron Point.

    Approved in 2005, plans for the Gas City fell through when the company filed for bankruptcy and its existing gas stations and truck stops were auctioned in 2011.

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    Alex Chakonas, a rep for Ohio-based Speedway, estimated the project will bring between $350,000 to $500,000 in annual tax revenue to Plainfield. He said the station will have 15 to 20 employees to start, and could eventually grow to as many as 40 employees.

    On Monday, representatives for Speedway unveiled plans to transform the site into a fueling station with 10 pumps and three diesel lanes for trucks, plus a 4,600-square-foot convenience store.

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    The station would operate 24/7, but there would be no overnight parking for trucks, and no designated parking areas that would allow truck drivers to leave their vehicles idling, according to a Speedway rep.

    Reps also said the station will comply with village ordinances regarding outdoor storage. Businesses must request permission from the board if they wish to have outdoor storage, Mayor Mike Collins said.

    Collins also quizzed Speedway reps on whether they have discussed their plans with IDOT, which is slated to begin widening the Route 30 corridor from I-55 to Route 59.

    “The State of Illinois will have up to seven lanes outside of the property,” Collins said.

    A rep said the company is working with IDOT and will make sure the gas station project does not impact the state’s right-of-way.

    Village Planner Michael Garrigan said the gas station is also following lighting standards so as not to impact the nearby Lake Renwick Heron Rookery Nature Preserve, saying the proposal calls for the use of mostly LED lighting.

    “There should be no lighting overspill,” Garrigan said.

    Trustees ultimately voted 5-1, with Dan Rippy opposing the proposal, to approve the project site plan and to have the village attorney draft an ordinance approving a major change to the planned development.

    Garrigan said construction on the station will likely begin in the spring.

    "We could use the gas tax," trustee Jim Racich told reps for Speedway. "We're really encouraging you to do this."


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