The Tinley Park Village Board voted 4-1 on Tuesday to approve a development along 191st Street, including allowing a planned McDonald’s to be open 24 hours with an overnight drive through.
Colleen Sullivan was the only trustee to vote to oppose the plan, while Trustees William Brady, Dennis Mahoney, Michael Mueller and Kenneth Shaw voted in favor.
The Plan Commission had approved the plan with an amendment to limit the McDonald’s operation to between 5 a.m. and 11 p.m. Sullivan unsuccessfully sought to keep those hours in the final ordinance.
Mayor Michael Glotz said at a Jan. 20 meeting the proposal was only being moved past first reading, instead of being fully approved, in order to give residents multiple chances to comment because of the opposition.
Residents pushed back on the development because of the restaurant’s proximity to the neighborhood.
Several residents voiced concern that headlights, the noise of cars and the smell of the establishment would cause a disturbance.
Laura Goebel told village trustees she feared a 24-hour McDonald’s would bring artificial light and noise that would only worsen over time.
Residents also said they worried more crimes would be committed in their neighborhoods, including speeding cars, which residents say have already become a problem, as well as home invasions/robberies in their subdivisions.
Glotz urged people to alert police if people continue to speed.
Darren Freihage, the owner/operator of the McDonald’s franchise, said he once had the same mindset about 24-hour McDonald’s locations, thinking they would be a disturbance to neighborhoods and that people would loiter in parking lots. But he said the residents’ concerns are based on false assumptions.
Freihage said he owns five other McDonald’s that operate 24 hours and, except for one, there have been no safety issues.
Residents also said they were concerned that during the summer, when village concerts are held, attendees could potentially commit crimes near them afterward if the 24-hour drive-through was approved.
A proposal was made to put a trial period on the establishment to monitor crime between May and October, when the concerts typically run, but no trustee seconded the motion.
Jason Bird, a 22-year resident, said he was disappointed with the vote.
“No one wanted to work together on this and didn’t want to please the residents, which is disappointing,” Bird said. “The traffic is a nuisance.”
He said he hopes that the police work together with the residents.
Fire Department recognition
The Tinley Park Fire Department was awarded a basic life safety certification Jan. 30, meaning it will be able to assist emergency medical services to help with basic life-support calls.
“It was definitely a monumental movement in the right direction and eventually go into an advanced life support stage,” said fire Chief Steve Klotz.
Klotz said he looks forward to putting the certification to use in helping the community.
Cam’ron Hardy is a freelance reporter for the Daily Southtown.
