Resident urges comprehensive studies and transparency on proposed Auplane/Belvidere rezoning (file 250028)

Barbara Minetti, a Gurnee resident, addressed the Planning and Zoning Board during the meeting’s public comment period to raise concerns about a proposed rezoning for the northeast corner of Auplane and Belvidere Roads (file number 250028).

Minetti said she was concerned that the July 16 agenda described the project only as a “convenience store” while an informal review application filed July 8 outlined a much larger commercial project. She told the board the applicant is Belvidere Real Estate LLC, incorporated July 2, with a principal address of 4476 Belvidere Road in Gurnee, and that the proposed plan would rezone 12 parcels from light residential to commercial and could be built in three phases totaling up to 10,000 square feet.

Minetti said the informal application included a fueling operation with eight pumps and asked whether hours of operation or types of goods (food service, alcohol, tobacco, vape products, cannabis or gambling) would be limited. She urged the board to require a comprehensive traffic impact assessment by both the Illinois Department of Transportation and Lake County DOT, ingress/egress analysis, police and fire hazard assessments, and environmental studies addressing runoff, fuel storage, trash, rodent control, noise and light pollution. She requested that her statement be included in the meeting minutes.

Planning staff responded that the July meeting had been an informal review and that commissioners had expressed concern at that time over the lack of detail. The board adjourned after that public comment.