Elgin OKs plan for trucking facility

Despite widespread opposition from nearby residents, the Elgin City Council approved a zoning proposal for a new trucking and warehouse facility in the southeast side of Elgin.

The owners of the proposed facility at 980 Lambert Lane largely have accommodated residents' concerns, primarily by changing the location of the building to shield residences in the Castle Creek subdivision from trucking activity, city council and staff members said earlier this week.

The company agreed to widen its entrance curb cut, not have trucks drive through the neighborhood, and not have an outdoor PA system, Community Development Director Marc Mylott said. Also, the plan calls for 124 trees and 387 shrubs as a buffer, far more than required by ordinance, he said.

The plan requires city council approval for zoning setback deviations, but that's only because Europe Holding LLC agreed to modify its original plan to minimize impact to the neighborhood, city officials said.

Under the current plan, the 43,750-square-foot building will be on the south end of the property; the original plan called for a building on the north end of the property with truck traffic closer to residences.

"If we decline this petition, the developer can go with the first option - end of story," Councilman Terry Gavin said.

The city council is expected to vote on an ordinance establishing the planned development at its next meeting Jan. 13.

The vast majority of homeowners in Castle Creek of Elgin signed a petition against the plan, and another petition at change.org had 128 supporters, including residents of Castle Creek of Bartlett.

Resident Andrea Evensen said neighbors hoped the city council would ask the trucking company to move its entrance as far north as possible on Lambert Lane. Company owner Maciej "Mike" Spiechow, however, said that a retention pond makes that impossible.

Also, residents hope the final ordinance will prohibit any monument signs for the trucking company, Evensen said.

While it's true the area was zoned industrial for decades, residents said they didn't envision a trucking company moving in, and if anything thought the area might be developed into more residences or a park.

Residents also are worried about traffic signal timing at Route 20 and Lambert Lane because the additional trucks will create dangerous conditions, especially for westbound traffic turning south, Evensen said.

Mylott said the city is not planning to do a traffic study, but residents can request that from the Illinois Department of Transportation, which has jurisdiction over Route 20.

There have been 17 crashes there since 2012, including seven in 2013, due to reasons including lane violation, rear-end crashes at the light and weather conditions, Elgin police said.

Spiechow said he's renting his current business location with about 30 trucks at 1147 Timber Drive and hopes to move into the new building sometime in 2017, although it might not be until 2018.