Dupage Policy Journal

The Woodridge Village Board of Trustees held a public hearing during its Nov. 17 meeting to discuss the proposed construction of a gasoline station on a 10-acre tract at 12S355 and 12S381 Lemont Road.

During the hearing, streamed on YouTube, trustees learned the proposal was made by Leonard McEnery, owner of a Lenny’s Gas and Wash gasoline station in Woodridge, who wants to have the land annexed to permit construction of the station, which would include a convenience store, car wash and restaurant drive-thru. During the session, he noted that he currently operates 24 locations and eight of those border on areas zoned residential.

“We have 700 employees and we have another 700 that are employed by the tenants in the food industry,” McEnery told trustees during the hearing. “We have three under construction and six in approval processes right now.”

During the session, it was noted that the tract borders single-family properties to the north, the DuPage forest preserve on its eastern side and other commercial developments on its western flank. Kimberly Clarke, the village’s director of Community Development noted that McEnery also is seeking licenses for video games as well as beer and wine sales.

“I speak to you with experience, and our development team, as you can see, has many years of experience also,” McEnery explained during the session. “I’m not defending our company, but explaining why I believe it’s a good fit into your village. I chose this location because it seems to be an underserviced area for food and fuel.”

Clarke also pointed out during the session that the village would receive revenues of about $600,000 annually from the business.

Several representatives for McEnery also spoke during the session. It was noted that during a public hearing in October that negative comments were raised about the proposal before the Planning and Zoning Committee voted unanimously to oppose the project. Since that time, developers have made several changes based in input from that hearing.

Trustees agreed to continue the issue and vote on the plan during their December meeting.