Plan to knock down old Lake Zurich McDonald's, build new one to go before village board

A plan to knock down the McDonald's on the southwest corner of Rand and Ela roads and replace it with a new one will be before the Lake Zurich village board next week.

The new design calls for a two-lane drive-through and would be a "significant upgrade" in appearance to the current restaurant, according to Jim Olguin, a lawyer who represented the project at a planning and zoning commission meeting last month.

The commission unanimously recommended the plan.

The McDonald's at 653 S. Rand Road in Lake Zurich was built in 1974, according to Olguin, an attorney at the Hinsdale-based Buikema Law Group LLC.

"I was born in '73, and although 45 is a perfect age for a zoning attorney, it's probably not the ideal age for a restaurant," Olguin joked at the presentation March 20.

Olguin said having two drive-through lanes would mean the McDonald's could serve 50 percent more customers and nearly double the amount of cars. The lanes would be designed so dine-in customers wouldn't have to walk past as many waiting cars, Olguin said.

The plan for the new McDonald's includes a PlayPlace. It does not feature outdoor seating, which the current location has.

The plan calls for the demolition and construction to be wrapped up in just 90 days. Orlando Stratman, the chair of the planning and zoning commission, asked Olguin if he thought such a quick turnaround was feasible.

"One thing I've learned in working with McDonald's is they do have an aggressive schedule but they meet it," Olguin said. "They can construct fairly quickly."

According to village documents, the new McDonald's will still employ about 70 people, but the hours of operation could be extended from the current 5 a.m. to midnight to 24 hours should demand make that viable.

Lake Zurich trustees will meet at village hall at 7 p.m. on Monday.