Joliet considers car-truck fuel center on Plainfield Road

A developer wants to build a car-and-truck fueling center on Plainfield Road in the Louis Joliet Mall retail district.

The proposal is for a Joliet site west of the Millennium Square development, which includes the Denny’s restaurant. The 3.3-acre undeveloped site is in an area on the east end of the retail district where commercial development has spread to the edge of residential neighborhoods.

The developer has scheduled a neighborhood meeting on the project for 7 p.m. Monday at John Lutheran Church, 2650 Plainfield Road, according to a city staff report.

The plan next goes to the Joliet Zoning Board of Appeals for review at its meeting at 2 p.m. Thursday.

Applicant Kalpesh Patel/OM Group is seeking a special use permit needed to build the fuel center at 2571-2573 Plainfield Road. The zoning board’s vote on the permit would serve as a recommendation to the City Council, which would make the final decision.

Plans include 16 lanes for automobile fueling and two lanes for truck fueling, according to the staff report to the zoning board.

There is a residential area north of the site. Houses also line the other side of Plainfield Road.

“The truck fueling portion of the site would be located away from the existing residential areas north of the site,” the staff report said. “The truck fueling area would be designed to accommodate semi-trucks, but the petitioner believes mostly smaller box trucks would utilize this area.”

Plans include a 5,390 square-foot main building with a convenience store and small restaurant. A drive-through for the restaurant is proposed.

The undeveloped site is part of the Millennium Square Subdivision that was approved by the city in 2007 with general business zoning.