Despite opposition from residents who live near the site, a proposed tire/auto repair business near the Meijer store will go to the Elgin City Council with the backing of the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission.
Belle Tire is seeking plan approval for to build the business on an unused 2-acre portion of the Meijer parking lot north of the 815 S. Randall Road supercenter, Senior Planner Damir Latinovic said at this week’s commission meeting.
Belle Tire specializes in tires but also does minor automotive repair and maintenance work, including brake replacement, alignments and oil changes, Latinovic said. It does not do engine or transmission repair work or bodywork, he said.
The Michigan-based company founded in 1931 has more than 130 locations in Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, and is in the process of opening its first locations in Illinois, said Matthew Schumacher, of Cage Engineering, who gave an overview of the project to the commission.
“They’ve recently started getting into the Chicago market,” Schumacher said. “They have two stores currently open in Villa Park and Naperville.”
The proposed building will have a 9,800 square feet and 10 overhead garage doors facing away from residential property adjacent to the site, Latinovic said. Eleven parking spots will be removed but should have no effect on Meijer parking availability even at peak hours, city officials said.
Some shade trees will be removed but the company will be planting 40 new shade, evergreen and ornamental trees will be planted, officials said.
Pamela Coulson, acting president of the Townhomes of Woodbridge Homeowners Association, said the biggest problem with the project is the noise and traffic it will generate.
A similar business on Bowes Road generates a lot of traffic, and “the bay doors are open all the time. You can hear banging and all kinds of racket during the day,” Coulson said.
Many Woodridge residents work nights and sleep during the day, and two people in the subdivision — one who is autistic and the other a military veteran with PTSD — are sensitive to loud noises, she said.
With already a lot of noise from the Meijer store, the city needs to consider sound buffering regardless of whether Belle Tire is built or not, Coulson said.
She added there were other locations on Randall Road that seem better suited for the business, especially given the traffic it could generate.
Schumacher said he was familiar with the neighbors’ concerns, and stressed that the building was positioned and the bay doors located in a way that best keeps noise away from the residential area.
“We know sound is pretty linear, so when it radiates around the corners of the building it dies off very quickly,” Schumacher said. “Additionally, Belle Tire has made the switch to all-electric tools. They do not use compressed air or pneumatic tools, so it helps with the noise,” he said.
More traffic shouldn’t be an issue because customers often combine a trip to Belle Tire and grocery shopping at Meijer, Schumacher said.
Neighbors will have a second chance to voice their concerns when the project goes to the city council for approval.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
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Commission recommends new Elgin tire and auto repair biz on Randall despite neighbors' opposition - Chicago Tribune
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