Circle K asks Grayslake to postpone vote
The developers behind a proposed gas station and convenience mart at Route 83 and Lake Street in Grayslake have asked officials to postpone a decision on the project just ahead of a village board vote scheduled for today.
The plan calls for construction of a Circle K gas station, a 4,770-square-foot convenience store and a car wash on a vacant site at 34692 N. Route 83.
Lisa Koenig, the North America director of communications for Circle K, did not give a specific reason for the request Monday.
"We will present our revised proposal to the community at the public hearing, and I think you will find your questions addressed at that time," Koenig wrote in an email.
The plan has drawn the ire of some nearby residents.
At a June 20 village board committee-of-the-whole meeting, five residents spoke out against the plan.
Christine Howell, a resident of the Briargate subdivision, said the gas station would drastically change her quality of life and result in increased noise and reduced safety. She urged the mayor and village board to walk the neighborhood to see how close homes on Stockton Drive are to the site.
Lisa Paarfusser, another Briargate subdivision resident and a member of the homeowners association, said she believes the Circle K would "cannibalize" business from other gas stations and result in a reduction in property values.
There is a BP gas station just across the intersection at 1275 N. Route 83.
Trustee Ron Jarvis opposed the station's being open 24 hours a day and said it would not be consistent with the village's reputation as a green community.
Mayor Rhett Taylor supported the proposal, saying a gas station is appropriate for the location, that the architecture would be of high quality compared with other gas stations' and that more than 50 percent of the property would remain open space.
Koenig did not provide a specific date on when the proposal would be back before the village board but said it would be in early October. The village board is scheduled to meet Oct. 3 and 17.