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Lake Barrington Speedway delayed until 2016

Speedway will begin building its controversial Lake Barrington gas station at Kelsey Road and Northwest Highway next spring, according to village officials.

Village Administrator Chris Martin said he couldn't say for sure why the company wasn't able to get the station built during 2015 after having its plan approved by the village in November 2014.

"It took about five months to get through the village, and certainly that's a long time," Martin said. "That might have pushed their schedule."

Speedway could not be immediately reached for comment.

Betsy Duckert, the manager of permitting for the Lake County Division of Transportation, said Speedway will have to pay to upgrade the turn lanes on Kelsey Road, which is a county highway. She said the county has yet to issue Speedway a permit to build a driveway onto Kelsey Road.

The overall plan - which calls for a Speedway station with 20 gas pumps, a convenience store and a car wash - was unpopular with nearby residents, who expressed concern about the proposed station's size, affect on local traffic, environmental impact and a litany of other issues. The meeting where the plan was approved by the village went on for 7½ hours, finally ending at around 2:30 a.m.

Martin said in the meantime the company is going to maintain the property.

"We are excited to have them and excited to get going in the spring," Martin said.

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