Residents on Ottawa’s south side may not have to cross the Illinois River to get McDonald’s soon.

The Ottawa City Council took steps towards a second McDonald’s in the city by granting a conditional use permit to James Bowe & McDonald’s USA after hearing a presentation at a meeting of the Ottawa Plan Commission.

“I don’t think companies like McDonald’s or Walmart or whoever make these decisions do them by mistake,” Ottawa Mayor Robert Hasty said.

The proposed site of the new McDonald’s is at the southwest corner of McKinley Road and First Ave.

“We see this as a potential opportunity for there to be more development on the south side,” Hasty said. “You put a McDonald’s there, and the next thing you know, there’s one or two other businesses, and it can really help to revitalize that part of our city.“

The plan commission is requiring the petitioner to complete roadway and right-of-way improvements, install noise-limiting technology for the drive-thru speaker, shield and direct downward all exterior lighting and provide a cross-access easement to the commercial property to the south.

“I thought that McDonald’s did a really good job of explaining what they were planning on doing there, and addressing all of those conditional things,” Hasty said. “They mentioned each one of them, and how they plan to attack each of them, and I was really impressed by what they had to say.”

Dan Olson of Upstream Design Group was a representative at the meeting and is enthusiastic about the prospects of a second McDonald’s in Ottawa.

“We’re pleased to be part of the community and we’re looking forward to developing a successful restaurant there,” he said.

Olson said the next step for McDonald’s is to go through the permitting process with the city of Ottawa and other agencies and get all the necessary approvals.

There is no firm timetable for the start of construction or when the restaurant is expected to be open for business.