Lockport joins objection to truck development near I-355

Lockport — The Lockport City Council issued a resolution at its meeting Wednesday formally opposing the rezoning of property in Will County to allow for a truck dealership.

In March, the owners of the property at 13764 S. Archer Road in Lemont, just east of Interstate 355, requested that the property be rezoned from A-1 Agricultural to C-4 Highway Commercial to accommodate a truck dealership and maintenance facility as well as office space for Four Way Logistics.

The issue is pending before the county, and the village of Lemont has objected. Lemont requested that Lockport and Homer Glen join it in its opposition to the facility, and the Lockport City Council agreed to do that June 5.

According to board documents presented by City Administrator Ben Benson, Mayor Steven Streit sent a letter to the Will County Board objecting the rezoning.

In the letter, Streit wrote: “In discussions with the villages of Lemont and Homer Glen, neither community includes this type of use in their comprehensive plans. While the city of Lockport does not include this property in its comprehensive plan given its location on the Lemont side of our boundary agreement, we do not believe it is appropriate for this gateway intersection into all three communities and, furthermore, respect our neighbor’s ability to protect their community’s future development interests.”

Additionally, the letter mentions concerns for Lockport’s roads and traffic congestion if a new truck facility is opened at the location.

Streit was not at Wednesday’s meeting to comment further.

Benson noted at the meeting that the Illinois Department of Transportation estimates the area where the facility would be built already sees about 2,800 trucks pass through daily.

The proposed plan includes a 92,752-square-foot facility on the 15.6-acre site, which would include 28 drive-in bays and 10 exterior ones in addition to the space needed for truck sales, potentially increasing traffic around it significantly.

The City Council voted unanimously to approve the objection being sent to the county. Homer Glen reportedly has not yet submitted its own objection but plans to do so in the near future.