Casey's General Store eyeing St. Charles location

Casey's General Store wants to add a location at a vacant former bank site on the east side of St. Charles.

Representatives from the gas station and convenience store chain appeared before last week's plan commission meeting to present a concept plan for a 4,000-square-foot main building and 16 fuel pumps for the 2.3-acre location at 2600 East Main St. The parcel is part of the Foxfield Commerce Center development area that also includes a Goodwill store and an Ace Hardware store.

While some commissioners expressed concern about landscaping and traffic flow in the area with the addition of Casey's, they liked the overall idea of filling the site that's been vacant for years in an area without many nearby gas stations. If the location is eventually approved, Casey's will demolish the existing structure and construct a new building at the northeast corner of Main Street and Fieldgate Drive.

Casey's representative Eric Tracy said future expansion of the building is unlikely because of the rigid policy Casey's enforces about the uniformity of its structures.

"This location is one that they like with the access to Main Street," Tracy said.

"We do need to get approval from (the Illinois Department of Transportation) for the curb cuts on Main Street," he said. "A traffic study has been produced and submitted to IDOT for feedback. Generally, they're running 90 to 120 days on that feedback so we expect to hear something back in about three months from now."

According to its website, Casey's operates more than 2,300 stores in 16 states and boasts more than 40,000 employees. Casey's has nearby locations in Maple Park, West Dundee and Hampshire.

Tracy said Casey's is the fifth-largest pizza chain in the country.

"I've been waiting for a long time for this parcel to have something useful on it," said Plan Commission Chairman Todd Wallace. "I think that this is a good use for this space."