Yorkville’s first QuickTrip plans grand opening

Yorkville’s first-ever QuickTrip gas station announced its planning on opening it’s doors to customers this November.

Construction began on Feb. 17 at the northeast corner of Routes 47 and 71.

City officials are still debating whether to grant a variance to allow the gas station to install two large signs along Route 47 that exceed the maximum sign height and number of signs allowed in the area per city ordinance.

The city’s planning and zoning commission said they are supporting the variance because the proposed signage height is similar to the adjacent sign across the street, a Shell gas station, that was approved in the 1990s.

“I’m not a fan of variances for signage, my position is the ordinance is the ordinance,” Alderman Chris Funkhouser said during the April 1 meeting. “We recalibrated it recently with the UDO, and my preference is to stick with them, but I understand their desire for competitiveness.”

A public hearing is scheduled for 7 p.m. April 9 at City Hall.

The application was filed by Ali Bukres, a Yorkville resident and the project’s manager. Bukhres previously said that the property will feature 16 gasoline fueling stations and a 5,312-square foot convenience store.

The City Council previously approved the site plan and a special use ordinance for the project. They also rezoned the property to allow the development.

City officials previously indicated that a smaller property parcel may be developed in the future as a car washing station.

The site will feature a turn-in access lane from Route 47 and another on Route 71.

QuickTrips currently are found in 14 states around the country.