Crystal Lake trucking company to seek formal rezoning for expansion after 6 months of delays

Crystal Lake-based trucking company NVA Transportation will seek rezoning approval Wednesday from the local Planning and Zoning Commission after months of continuations requested by the company.

NVA Transportation, 7013 Sands Road, first proposed the rezoning of the property in July in order to expand the business by more than 20 acres. The proposal to the city includes parking spaces for more than 300 semitrailer trucks and a new 33,000-square-foot building, according to city documents.

There have been a total of four delays requested by NVA Transportation since its first proposal in July. December’s delay happened after attorneys representing neighbors requested more time.

Nearby residents have continued to organize against the expansion, creating the website SaveSandsRoad.com and an online petition that has more than 1,600 signatures.

Yard signs that say “Stop truck terminal” can be found throughout Crystal Lake and along Route 14.

Residents plan to attend Wednesday’s meeting wearing white shirts to show their solidarity against the proposal, Crystal Lake resident Kevin McVearry said.

“We’re pushing to have a huge turnout,” he said. “We want to have a couple hundred people or more there.”

McVearry raised safety concerns about the trucking operation, saying it “doesn’t belong in a residential area.”

NVA Transportation has made some changes since its first proposal to the Planning and Zoning Commission in July.

A dedicated left-turn lane into the site on Sands Road has been added to the proposal, along with an extended water main line, said Mark Daniel, an attorney representing NVA.

A gated fence surrounding the land and about three rows of trees to buffer the north end of the property also have been added, Daniel said.

“We did not have to do that, but those are neighbor concerns that we responded to,” he said.

An environmental and traffic study also has been completed since NVA’s first attempt at commission approval. Both studies back the project, claiming it will have no substantial effects on the area.

Most of the project’s use is permitted by the current zoning, Daniel said.

“As far as we’re concerned, the project fits either with or without a rezoning,” he said. “We’re going this route so the city has more ability to regulate this specific use.”