Gurnee debates whether to allow vehicle recycler

One side pitched what was billed as a state-of-the-art vehicle recycling business for Gurnee that would be good for the environment.

However, the opposite side contended safety hazards and noise problems were among the reasons the plan for Gurnee by Auto Parts City wouldn't be appropriate on a nearly 16-acre site bordering their manufactured homes in another village, Park City.

Gurnee village board members listened to both sides at a meeting Monday night and were expected to render a decision at some point.

For Auto Parts City, it was its second attempt at gaining approval from Gurnee's elected officials for the vehicle recycling operation at 3535 Washington St. near Route 41.

In April, a formal protest was lodged by more than 20 percent of residents in the mobile homes bordering the Auto Parts City land. That maneuver required the Gurnee village board to grant approval by a two-thirds majority, but the vehicle recycling plan went down in a 3-3 vote.

At Monday night's meeting, Auto Parts City real-estate consultant Mitchell Miller noted the slightly revamped proposal recently was given a positive recommendation by the Gurnee plan commission with 29 conditions attached. The village board gets the final say on all issues.

Miller said the area on Gurnee's east side near Park City would benefit from one of the conditions requiring Auto Parts City to clean property used for a companion salvage yard as part of a separate business. The salvage yard is across Washington Street from where the new vehicle recycling facility would be built.

"This might set a record for conditions for a special-use permit in Gurnee," Miller said.

Roughly 30 opponents of Auto Parts City's new automobile recycling operation attended Monday night's Gurnee village board meeting. They have argued the facility would be nothing more than a junkyard with safety and environmental problems.

But proponents say vehicle recycling is common in Europe and typically operated by automobile companies. They contend auto recycling substantially reduces energy and material requirements and cuts greenhouse gas emissions from the manufacturing of new materials.