A proposal to build a gas station on land near Lake in the Hills has some residents fighting the plans.

But the developer’s attorney and village officials said the developer hasn’t decided whether to move ahead with the proposal at the northeast corner of Lakewood and Miller roads.

The developer, Osho Business Group, has a contract to purchase the property at 2100 N. Lakewood Road and is proposing to subdivide the lot, officials said, with a gas station and 7,200-square-feet convenience store on the southern lot and a 10,000-square-feet, multi-tenant retail site and stormwater management basin on the northern lot.

John Argoudelis, the attorney for the developer, said the neighbors’ issues regarding the gas station included lighting and pollution, and the project team is exploring ways to mitigate those issues.

He acknowledged the proposal did not get a welcoming reception in Lake in the Hills and that the team is looking into how to make it more acceptable to neighbors.

Argoudelis said Feb. 26 he and his team haven’t talked further with residents since an earlier Planning and Zoning Commission vote. He said the developer hasn’t made a final decision on moving forward and is gauging whether the Village Board is supportive.

Argoudelis said the gas station is the anchor tenant of the property and it is needed to make the economics of the development work.

As for the retail side, a breakfast place is the main potential tenant so far, Argoudelis said, but other possible businesses medical services and local services like a hair salon.

Argoudelis said gas stations are “highly regulated” and the team is exploring how to make the new proposed station go above and beyond EPA regulations.

The local Planning and Zoning Commission voted 6-0 against the proposal on Feb. 17 following a meeting that last several hours and was, at times, contentious. The staff report provided to the commission indicated original plans had called for a car wash, but that was removed in response to public feedback.

The property is currently zoned residential but is outlined in the village’s comprehensive plan as being commercial, officials said, though it has been vacant for 20 years. But Village President Ray Bogdanowski said Feb. 26 that the board and staff are committed to looking at properties like the one in question and suggested that their classification in planning documents may need to be reviewed.

Village staff members said they looked at property values for homes near a strip mall at Lakewood and Ackman roads built in 2006. The home values continued to increase after the center came online, dropped during in the recession but rose afterwards, officials said.

But that commercial area doesn’t include a gas station, officials said.

The staff’s recommendation, ultimately, was to approve the request.

Bogdanowski brought up the proposal at the Feb. 26 Village Board meeting. The project was not on the agenda, but Bogdanowski said he wanted to set the record straight.

Bogdanowski said the project is “pending” until developers decide they want to come to the board or withdraw. He said the project review first began in November.

“This doesn’t mean it’s over. It just means that ... we’re at the mercy” of them coming back and presenting to the board, Bogdanowski said, adding if the developer withdraws, they can come back, but the process would restart.

He said when a landowner or developer wants to do something different with their property, they have to go through a process defined by state law. It includes going through staff, the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Village Board, Bogdanowski said, adding the village board usually isn’t involved until after Planning and Zoning.

But because of the controversy of the development, several board members were at the commission hearing and the rest have listened to a recording of it, he said.

“There’s a good understanding of what’s going on and some of the residents’ concerns here,” Bogdanowski said.

He said the board takes the zoning recommendation seriously and the board has never overridden that panel’s recommendation since he became village president.

Bogdanowski said after the meeting he has not talked to the developer but staff has, adding he felt the developer seemed to be taken aback by the public response.

And even though the Village Board didn’t review the proposal, several residents spoke against it. Residents cited Miller Road being a more residential area, environmental concerns, traffic and proximity to a fen, among other things.

“All the residents have said they would boycott the businesses,” resident Debra Kluzek said.

She questioned what would happen if the gas station goes up and the business fails because of boycotts. She said it would become the village’s and residents’ problem. She also said she wants to see the village host an informal meeting for residents.

She also broached potential environmental concerns related to the gas station.

Kluzek also noted that a traffic study provided to planning and zoning board members was from 2021. The report used average annual daily traffic counts from 2021 – when the COVID-19 pandemic could have affected the numbers – but the report indicates turn movements at Lakewood and Miller roads, among other intersections nearby, were taken in October 2025.

Kluzek also suggested Lake in the Hills could lose residents over the development.

Resident Henry Klich said he has seen and admired a lot of growth in the area since he moved there in the 1990s. But he hoped Lake in the Hills would not move with the gas station.

“I don’t think [I have seen] a gas station go up and everybody saying, ‘Wow, that looks great there. That belongs there,’” he said.

He also noted the proximity to the fen and expressed concern for what could happen to wildlife. And he pointed out there are “two gas stations 30 seconds down the street.”

Bogdanowski said Feb. 26 the earliest the Village Board could take up the proposal is March 12, which is the next time the board meets.