Concerns raised about Rand Road plan in Lake Zurich
Veteran Lake Zurich developer John Alan Sfire will return to an advisory village panel this month as he seeks approval for a retail center and gasoline station proposed just south of his Deerpath Commons mall on Rand Road.
Sfire's Fidelity Group plans the tentatively named Sparrow Ridge Plaza near Rand and Old Rand roads. He said it would benefit Lake Zurich, in particular from the gas station that would be projected to generate $12 million to $15 million in annual sales.
"I've been here for a long time," Sfire said, "and I don't do things that try to hurt people. I don't do things that are inconvenient to people."
But some residents living near the proposed development raised several concerns at a Jan. 20 public hearing held by the advisory Lake Zurich planning and zoning commission. The hearing is scheduled to continue at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 17, at village hall, 70 E. Main St.
Resident Brian Zabel said he doesn't like the possibility of losing upward of 700 trees to accommodate Sparrow Ridge Plaza. He said the nearby trees currently shield his Ascot Court home from Rand Road traffic noise.
"There are 6 acres of trees by our houses," Zabel told the planning and zoning commission. "They're all going to be gone. That's a big sound issue right now."
Other concerns included the potential of the new gasoline station taking customers from similar, exiting businesses and causing further congestion near Rand and Old Rand roads.
Sfire said a national day-care center chain, the gasoline station and the 10,000 square feet of retail space would connect to his Deerpath Commons mall to the north on Rand, where Binny's Beverage Depot, Aldi and House of Hope Resale are among the major tenants. He said he has a contract to purchase the land next to his mall, contingent on gaining final approval for his plan.
"The property I'm looking at has been vacant for 50 or 60 years," Sfire said.
When the public hearing ends, the planning and zoning commission will issue a recommendation to the board.