Shared parking lot causing friction for Algonquin businesses along Randall Road

The Algonquin Village Board approved a special permit request from car rental company Enterprise despite multiple residents citing concerns of traffic and safety in a shared parking lot.

Enterprise Rent-A-Car in the Broadsmore Shopping Center, 2397 S. Randall Road, requested a special-use permit to allow the business to continue operations. Such a permit is now required of existing rental businesses after an amendment made last year to the village’s zoning code. Enterprise has been operating at the location for almost 20 years.

The Village Board unanimously approved the request in a consent agenda vote without discussion Tuesday. The Algonquin Planning and Zoning Commission had approved the request in a 6-1 vote in April.

Multiple residents and people who work in the area spoke out against the request, citing concerns of increased traffic, safety and a lack of parking.

Enterprise is situated in a plaza that shares the building and parking lot with five other businesses, including the dance school Pro Dance Elite Studios. Dance school Director Kim Brancamp said the excessive cars have a negative effect on her business, forcing customers to park across the street by The Great Escape. Brancamp created a petition that collected more than 800 signatures in opposition of the permit request made by Enterprise.

“We have no parking,” she said. “The amount of what they are asking for is really, really taking a toll on the rest of the businesses.”

Pro Dance Elite Studios moved into the building during the COVID-19 pandemic and quickly saw increased parking lot congestion concerns as lockdown restrictions were lessened. Brencamp said she may consider changing locations again since her business continues to grow.

“I hope that I don’t have to necessarily move, but if safety continues to be an issue, we may have to relocate, which is sad, and it’s going to be catastrophic in expense considering buildout,” she said.

Pro Dance parent June Nickels said Enterprise has now outgrown the space it’s in.

“Every week, dozens of young dancers walk the parking lot, some as young as 2 years old,” she said. “The current situation with rental cars sticking over spaces has made this family-friendly area dangerous and overcrowded. This plaza was never really meant to support a fleet of rental vehicles with this much capacity.”

Enterprise branch manager Cameron Sanchez said he is a native and resident of Algonquin, and is open to any conditions the village needs to implement to ensure safety in the parking lot.

“It kind of breaks my heart seeing children safety being a part of the discussion,” he said. “I’m good with whatever adjustments we need to make. I want to make sure that we’re successful.”

Customers and business employees had concerns over designated parking specifically for Enterprise. Designated parking spaces are not a village responsibility, but rather the responsibility of the plaza building landlord, Algonquin Village President Debby Sosine said.

“This a nightmare for the staff because of parking conditions that are at the facility and at that building that we did not create – the landlord created,” she said. “So now our taxpayer money is spent on regulating what is and isn’t parked and who’s parked there.”

If overflow does happen, the Broadsmore Drive and Randall Road intersection has a crosswalk with a traffic light that allows pedestrians to cross safely, according to village documents.

The Village Board gave Enterprise the nod to continue operations with multiple conditions, including limitations on where vehicles can be parked, picked up and dropped off. No vehicle repairs can be done inside or outside the facility unless a separate special-use permit is issued, and cars dropped off by a customer in the front must be moved to the rear within two business hours.