Truck terminal draws concerns from Elgin neighbors

Residents near a proposed truck terminal just outside Elgin are mounting opposition to the project, citing outdated zoning laws and safety concerns.

The Northfield Block Co. wants to park about 15 trucks and trailers on a property formerly used as a concrete and brick yard near Highland Avenue and Coombs Road. A lawyer for the company told the Kane County Board’s Development Committee Tuesday that two to three trucks per day would enter or leave the property. The land has been vacant for several years and the subject of multiple vandalism incidents. But it’s also a neighbor to new residential communities, including Highland Woods.

Rick Sherman is a resident of that community. He’s joined with several of his neighbors to oppose the project. Sherman and others described the would-be truck terminal as the equivalent of “putting skunk cabbage in a garden of roses.”

Sherman argued that the property for the proposed development is only still zoned for an industrial use because of the old business that previously existed on the property and its subsequent vacant status. Sherman said the zoning was placed on the property back in the 1950s, but the surrounding area has evolved from industrial and farm uses to become a family-centered community.

The Development Committee seemed to agree with that argument but Northfield Block Co.’s attorney said his client only recently became aware of the sentiments of neighbors. The committee gave the business more time to reach an amicable agreement with neighbors before issuing a final ruling on the proposal.