The City of McHenry’s Zoning Board has endorsed a plan for Buss Ford to expand its sales lot onto the site of a shuttered car dealership, southwest of Illinois Highways 120 and 31.
Tim Hartnett with Smith Engineering Consultants Inc. said the former Overton property and Buss Ford are the same size. Together, the parcels total around 1.5 acres.
Steven Buss, owner of the Ford dealership, said he bought the Overton parcel after a bankruptcy settlement in February. He plans to demolish the vacant 7,000-square-foot building and replace it with a display lot for 118 more cars.
At a meeting Monday, Zoning Board member Chuck Lovett was the sole dissenting vote.
“What we’ll have here is an asphalt jungle on the corner of a main drag,” Lovett said, suggesting that Buss eliminate some parking spaces and add landscaping.
