A standing ovation erupted during the Norridge Village Board meeting Wednesday after resident Robert Mrozek asked community members if they opposed another gas station in town.
Nearly every person in the audience raised their hand before getting to their feet with a thunderous applause.
At least 10 other people stood before the board to express opposition to plans for a gas station at 7700-7750 West Irving Park Road.
But the Village Board concurred with the Zoning Board’s decision earlier this month to change the zoning from restricted neighborhood business to general business, thereby allowing a gas station.
The board also asked the village attorney to prepare an ordinance amending the property’s building code, which Village President James Chmura said will be voted on before any other decision are made regarding the property.
The property, which includes the vacant Joe Sieb Community Center and its parking lot, often used by Edelweiss restaurant, has been bid on by Oak Brook-based Exron Capital, Inc., which plans to build a gas station and convenience store that offers liquor sales and video gaming.
The village put the property up for sale earlier this year and Exron’s $1 million offer was the only bid, Chmura said.
The Village Board accepted Exron’s bid in February but has not yet received payment, Chmura said.
Residents raised concerns that included environmental contamination, traffic, crime, noise and a loss of neighborhood green-space.
The empty lot is often used as a park by local residents. A petition started by resident Ann Chmura to have the property turned into a community park garnered more than 100 signatures.
In a letter, she asked the Village Board to delay a vote on the zoning change to allow constituents time to gather more information and hold public meetings to discuss the issue.
Ann Chmura’s letter also outlined many of the concerns raised by residents.
“The gas station will not only bring health risks of regular and repeated exposure to fumes from cars, trucks and motorcycles, but also as you may know, burning fossil fuel contributes to climate change,” she wrote.
Renee Wawczak, a licensed professional geologist in Illinois, said her biggest concern was the risk of vapor intrusion, a process in which volatile organic compounds migrate into the air and cause health risks to anyone who breathes it in.
Because of these risks, Wawczak, an 8-year resident of Norridge, said she is “fundamentally opposed to gas stations in residential areas.”
Wawczak said that the effects of a gas station on the property will limit future uses for the site due to environmental restrictions and will have an impact on nearby property values.
President Chmura said video gaming is regulated by the state and that all gaming will end at midnight. As for alcohol, the village is not licensed to sell alcohol past 2 a.m., and the mayor said he doesn’t see that changing for the gas station.
Chicago Tribune Sports
Mary Willard, a lifelong resident of Norridge, asked for more transparency from the board, taking issue with a lack of community involvement in the decision to sell the property to Exron.
“We don’t want to be a part of Chicago but we’re turning into it,” said Willard. “It’s no longer a neighborhood here, it’s no longer an island.”
Chmura said that he understands the concerns voiced by community members but thinks that selling the property for commercial use is a good decision.
“A park or dog park will not bring in any sales tax,” he said. “People have to understand that we’re trying to move forward and were trying to get more businesses in the village and we don’t always get the businesses that we like.”
He said that the recent loss of businesses such as Kmart have lowered the sales tax revenue the city receives and that the board is trying to use the land they have in the best way possible.
“I understand the concerns of the residents and I’m trying to do my best to balance this out in a way that we move forward with productive business,” he said.
Chmura said decisions about the gas station and convenience store’s hours and details like parking and traffic will be discussed when the board takes up a formal ordinance, likely in May.