Plans for a mixed-use development on Orchard Road near Interstate 88 in Aurora, which are set to go before the Aurora City Council for approval next week, are facing pushback for including a gas station that developers say is key to the project.
The project, planned for the corner of Orchard and Sullivan Road, would include 10 acres of townhouses and 11 acres of commercial development. Within the commercial area is planned a QuikTrip gas station, a day care center and a mix of restaurants, including a Panda Express and something full-service.
Although representatives of developer GTZ have said at recent meetings that the project cannot move forward without the gas station, as QuikTrip is paying for needed infrastructure improvements to the site, its inclusion in the project has seen opposition from some Aurora residents, a Kane County Board member and city of Aurora planning staff.
City staff really supports the plan except for the gas station, which they instead recommended prohibiting from the site, according to Aurora Senior Planner Jill Morgan. The city has been working with the land owner and Kane County for many years to bring high-end commercial development to this area, a vision that might be hindered by the gas station, she said at the Aurora City Council’s Committee of the Whole meeting on Tuesday.
Aurora Chief Development Services Officer John Curley also noted that the city’s 2019 sustainability plan talks about using existing transportation infrastructure and services to capacity plus reducing the city’s carbon footprint, among other things. He said staff was trying to strike a balance between economic development and those sustainability goals.
The parts of the project that city staff are in favor of, which is everything but the gas station, includes a speculated six commercial buildings that might include restaurants with drive-thrus, a sit-down restaurant and a day care. Discussions are already happening with companies that may occupy those spots, with some deal terms already set for Panda Express and Kiddie Academy, Jeremy Forman of GTZ Properties said at the Tuesday meeting.
Talks are also ongoing with residential developers to build an anticipated 60–70 townhouses on the 10 acres to the north of the property, which is the side closest to the interstate, he said.
Entrances to the site are planned for both Orchard Road and Sequoia Drive.
City staff have been working with the developers on the project for a couple of years, but this summer was the first time that developers were told that city staff didn’t want a gas station there, said the attorney representing those proposing the project, John Philipchuck, at a meeting of the Aurora City Council’s Building, Zoning and Economic Development Committee on Nov. 26. The development is more than just the gas station, he said, which makes up only 2.8 acres of the site.
The QuikTrip convenience store is expected to be nearly 6,500 square feet and be the company’s latest model, according to Skyler Evans, the project manager for QuikTrip. Outside are planned 10 gas pumps, two with auto diesel, along with 50 parking spaces, he said at Tuesday’s Committee of the Whole meeting.
The gas pumps don’t play music or have any video screens, Evans said, and the diesel pumps aren’t suitable for tractor trailers.
Kane County Board member Mavis Bates, who represents this part of Aurora, also spoke against the gas station portion of the project at both Tuesday’s Committee of the Whole meeting and last month’s Building, Zoning and Economic Development Committee meeting. It would be bad for the environment, public health, economic development and quality of life, she said.
In particular, she said the gas station could harm ecosystems through runoff that gets into local waterways and could pollute ground water because of leaks in underground storage tanks. Plus, the land would be condemned, she said, since cleanup is expensive.
According to Evans, QuikTrip uses double-walled underground storage tanks and pipes, along with sensors, to mitigate underground leaks.
There are already gas stations nearby, Bates said, including across the street. Plus, they aren’t needed as much anymore with the growing sales of electric vehicles, she said.
Marissa Martinez, another Aurora resident, said at Tuesday’s meeting that QuikTrip shouldn’t be allowed to build and leave without addressing the impact to the community. She recommended the company pay into a community benefits fund and asked for the vote to be delayed to include this in the plan.
Ald. Carl Franco, 5th Ward, who represents this area on the Aurora City Council, said the project was a “no-brainer” for him and the majority of the people he represents. He’s been hearing for 11 years that there needs to be more commercial on Orchard Road, he said, and this is a prime spot for it.
Against staff’s recommendation, the plans were approved with the gas station by both the Building, Zoning and Economic Development Committee and the Planning and Zoning Commission. Now, those plans are set to go before the Aurora City Council for final approval on Dec. 9.
If the current proposal gets final approval, the nearly 30-acre site would be rezoned to allow for the planned residential and commercial development, as well as stormwater detention. However, the project would still need further approvals in the future for more concrete site plans.
Currently, the site is zoned as an Office, Research and Light Industrial District, meaning that a data center or warehouse could go in this spot if the proposal is shot down, city staff have said.
Another QuikTrip gas station was approved by the Aurora City Council earlier this year, although that project was not part of a larger development like this proposal. That gas station is set to be located on the southeast corner of Eola Road and Diehl Road, which is across the street from the CyrusOne data center and a short ways away from Metea Valley High School.
rsmith@chicagotribune.com
