The McHenry City Council offered mostly favorable feedback Monday on a development proposal that could bring a 7-Eleven convenience store, gas station and taco bar to the site of the vacant First Midwest Bank building.

The idea for the downtown parcel, at 3510 and 3522 W. Elm St., was hotly contested in July by dozens at a Planning and Zoning Commission meeting that moved the project forward with a 4-3 split vote, the Northwest Herald reported.

The proposal has since been revamped, with the retail building reoriented so it is closer to the corner of Elm and Green streets, according to a presentation given to the council. More of the structure would now face Green, whereas it faced Elm in the previous proposal. The gasoline pumps have also been shifted on the site in the new plan so that traffic would not face a curb cut in and out of the property, as had been proposed before.

“I think this plan is much better than the pumps facing [Route] 120,” 7th Ward Alderwoman Sue Miller said. “That made a much bigger impact to Green Street and the neighborhood, whereas this makes, in my opinion, less of an impact facing Richmond Road.”

Additionally, leaders of the parties working on the project, LFI Real Estate and GW Properties, said the owners plan to set up outdoor seating on a corner of the property to “promote a more pedestrian friendly corner,” said Jon Silverberg, vice president of GW Properties.

Limited indoor seating will also be available for customers of the retail store and the Laredo Tacos restaurant planned for the site, Silverberg said. He compared the Laredo Tacos service to Qdoba or Chipotle restaurants and said the McHenry location would be the first 7-Eleven location to host a Laredo in Chicago’s northwest suburbs.

“I like this site design much better,” 6th Ward Alderman Patrick Devine said.

Alderman Andrew Glab, who represents the 2nd Ward, said he still was not a fan of a gas station being put at the site.

Traffic at the site is a concern for most of the council members, and they said they were hopeful the Illinois Department of Transportation would require right turns only into and out of the site off of state Routes 31 and 120.

“With nothing in this building for the last eight years, there has been traffic issues there,” 3rd Ward Alderman Jeffrey Schaefer said. “It is the busiest corner we have in town, I believe. I don’t think you’re going to get rid of that with building up the city of McHenry and improving the downtown. That’s something we’re probably going to have to live with no matter what’s there or who’s in charge.”

The meeting was meant to give the project developers feedback from the city and did not include a formal vote to approve or shoot down the project.

The developers are set to return to the Planning and Zoning Commission for a public hearing later this month, and then return to City Council on Nov. 2 for a hearing, according to an agenda packet.