Yorkville City Council OKs gas station, car wash project near Raging Waves

YORKVILLE – The Yorkville City Council approved a project proposal for a new gas station and car wash site near Raging Waves Waterpark during their meeting this week.

The City Council voted, 7-0, to approve a special use permit and subdivision plat for the Lenny's Gas N Wash project, which will also include a Dunkin' Donuts on site located at Route 47 and Waterpark Way, during the council's Tuesday, Sept. 10 meeting. Ward 4 Alderman Seaver Tarulis was absent from the meeting.

Yorkville Mayor John Purcell said the group originally wanted to put the project at the southeast corner of Route 34 and Sycamore Road before the business put in special use applications with the city for a more than five acre parcel under contract at the northeast corner of Route 47 and Waterpark Way, which is next to Raging Waves Waterpark.

“And then after they looked into it, they thought this would be a better site,” Purcell said.

The City Council vote comes after the Yorkville Planning and Zoning Commission voted, 4-0, to approve the project during the commission's Aug. 14 meeting.

Lyman Tieman, attorney for project applicant Leonard McEnery, had said the project developers are looking to close on the property shortly after the City Council meeting. He had said the intent is for construction to begin immediately thereafter.

Lynn Dubajic, the city's economic development consultant, had said the project would bring about 40 more jobs to town. She had said the project would be good for economic development purposes within the city because a lot of people leaving the water park currently go north on Route 47 and fill up on gas, for example, outside of town.

City officials had said some concerns that arose throughout the permitting process included clearly outlined walkways on site for safety purposes. Those provisions were included and addressed in the special use permit for the project, along with a request to make the monument sign on the project bigger for better legibility, according to city officials.

Dubajic had said the developer's goal was to have the business open by the end of May 2020 to better align with the nearby water park's seasonal opening.