Plan For 24-Hour Gas Station In Glen Ellyn Moving Forward

On Monday, the Glen Ellyn Village Board of Trustees voted 4-0 to grant a special use permit for a Shell gas station to be built at 825 N. Main St.

The developer, True North, wants to build a 12-pump gas station and 4,200 square foot convenience store on the site. The station would be open 24-hours.

True North has entered into $630,000 contract to buy the property from the village. There have been three previous gas stations at this location according to the Daily Herald. Glen Ellyn purchased the site in 2010 for $590,000 and conducted environmental remediation of the site.

Residents have expressed concerns over traffic, stormwater runoff and the station's proximity to Forest Glen Elementary School. An online petition against the gas station has collected 764 signatures as of Thrusday.

"You didn't spend hundreds of thousands of dollars of taxpayer money, our money, to buy that property, demolish the gas station, remediate it with the state of Illinois and then turn it over to another gas station," resident David Hartsell told the board. "Every gas station that's been on that property has failed."

"A 24-7 gas station that operates and sells liquor is not who we are, it's not who the Village of Glen Ellyn is," resident Ron Hadlick said.

True North Chief Operating Officer Ryan Howard outlined how the company made several expensive modifications to their original architectural plans to make the station fit into the historic area.

"We wouldn't have offered these concessions or spent this amount of time or money to continue to pursue this project unless we really desired to be part of your community, and we do," Howard said.

Trustees asked village staff about crime, drainage and other aspects of the plan.

Trustee Mark Senak said he did not think the developer sufficiently answered the village's questions to be granted the special use permit. Senak made a motion to delay the vote, but no other trustee supported his motion.

Trustees Clark, Ladisec, McGinley and O'Shea voted to grant the permit. Senak abstained.

According to the Daily Herald, the village board will consider approval of the gas station on April 24.

Map showing the site of the proposed gas station, powered by Google.

Image via Shutterstock