Developer wants to replace vacant restaurant with gas station in Lake Zurich
An Ohio company wants to demolish the Lake Zurich building that once housed Omega Restaurant & Pancake House at routes 12 and 22 and build a gas station in its place.
The developer, Truenorth Energy LLC, is proposing a Shell gas station with 12 fueling stations and a 3,500-square-foot Truenorth branded convenience store at 449 S. Rand Road, the northwest corner of the busy intersection.
According to village documents, the developer would require a liquor license so it could sell beer and wine to compete with other nearby convenience stores. It estimated the village would eventually collect $100,000 to $125,000 in annual sales tax revenue from the business.
If the developer is able to build the gas station and keep it open, it would succeed where others have failed. Most recently, the restaurant building has been vacant for several years.
During Truenorth Energy's presentation to the village board Monday night, Mayor Thomas Poynton said a gas station once operated at the site but later closed. Poynton asked company representatives if they were concerned they would have problems staying open.
"That doesn't concern us," said Ryan Howard, Truenorth Energy's chief operating officer. "We believe in our site selection and we believe we could make this very successful."
Poynton asked if Howard thought there was enough business to go around with the other gas stations operating nearby, noting it would be the fifth gas station within a five-mile stretch of Rand Road.
"I don't want to see you or another gas station go out of business because we added you," Poynton said.
Howard acknowledged that putting another fuel dispenser in the network would have an impact on the other businesses.
"I don't know all of their financial situations but we'll compete just as we do anywhere else," he said.
The gas station and convenience store would be open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, according to the proposal. The store would not have video gambling.
The proposal was before the village board as a part of the courtesy review process, and additional hearings will be held before the board makes a final decision.