There are still concerns about a proposed garage on Brisbin Road near Minooka Road north of Interstate 80, but the project was able to obtain map and text amendments Wednesday night.

The 136.45 acres of land will still have to go to the Grundy County Board for the rezoning from agricultural to industrial to go through, and there are still objections to the map amendment from neighbors who’d rather not set an industrial precedent in the rural area, according to Development Director Alec Macdonald, and from County Engineer Eric Gibson, who is concerned the rezoning would direct truck traffic onto a roadway that is currently posted as forbidding truck traffic.

Attorney David Bzdill, representing GSM Holding, said the proposal is to rezone 4.5 acres of the land.

“I’ve heard all the objections, and interestingly enough and frankly, I think it puts the county in a hard spot. If you hear all the objections raised by Sen. Sue Rezin that were read off earlier for the Brisbin Solar Farm, from (Senator Chris) Balkema and the Grundy economic Development Council, all that $25 million investment from 2012 for the interchange, that’s exactly what this intended use was for.”

Earlier in the meeting, the Land Use Committee voted to recommend the denial of a Brisbin Road solar project partially on the grounds that it wasn’t within the original plans for the area around the Brisbin Road interchange on Interstate 80 when it was developed.

Bzdill said he also disagrees with an earlier statement from a prior meeting that the addition of a truck repair garage isn’t consistent with the Village of Minooka’s comprehensive plan.

“The comprehensive plan for South Minooka Road has it earmarked for open spaces, but North Minooka Road, I believe, based on our conversations with the Village of Minooka, is intended for heavy industrial,” Bzdill said. “We do have, and have been working with Minooka because if we do additional development on the remaining 136 acres, that additional development will be done in the Village of Minooka.”

Bzdill said the increase in truck traffic will be relatively small, limited to 12 parking spots for trucks but with a limit of six trucks on location at a time. The lot already has two buildings, one that will be used for repair work on tractors and another that will be used for repair work on trucks.

“We have been talking to Minooka about their comprehensive plan,” Bzdill said. “They have some of our notes, a very skeleton annexation or pre-annexation agreement. We are not contiguous with Minooka. We do disagree with the 1.5 mile we are outside their jurisdiction. Our records indicate that we’re 1.7 miles from the village limits, but we want to do a pre-annexation agreement. What’s hindering us from that right now is the lack of sewer and water, which is what everybody’s confronting on Brisbin Road.”

Jason Wiesbrock, with SPACECO, a civil engineering and surveying firm, said the GSM would be willing to build a driveway that has trucks entering and exiting off of Brisbin Road to avoid truck traffic on Minooka Road.

“It’s light repair,” Wiesbrock said. “It’s not a major overhaul. It’s oil changes, maintenance, grease change, tires, those kinds of things keeping them on the road.”

Realtor Bill Meyer, who is selling the property for Terry and Carol Seggebruch, said the Seggebruchs wanted to divest themselves of their property and while they’ve had a lot of offers from solar farms, they didn’t want to see solar farms on their property.

“These gentleman came along looking for a place to repair trucks and do an industrial park, and I’ve checked out their facilities,” Meyer said. “They’re neat, and they’re good people. It’s not going to be a junkyard. I can guarantee you that. We just think this is a better use for the property than a solar farm.”