TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Dustin Anderson, Director of Community Development
SUBJECT:
title
Ordinances Associated with 23656 S. Houbolt Road:
Ordinance Approving a Special Use Permit to Allow a Truck Parking Facility with Mobile Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Fueling as an Accessory Component (ZBA 2026-24)
Ordinance Approving a Variation of Use to Allow Above-Ground Fuel Tanks for Compressed Natural Gas Fueling in the I-1 (Light Industrial) District (ZBA 2026-25)
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BACKGROUND:
The petitioner and property owner, Whimsy Joliet LLC, is requesting approval of a Special Use Permit to allow a truck parking facility for their local freight carrier company, Whimsy Trucking, at 23656 S. Houbolt Road. The 7-acre parcel is currently within unincorporated Will County with County A-1 (agricultural) zoning. The petitioner is requesting annexation and classification to the I-1 (light industrial) zoning district. Trucking facilities are allowed as special uses within the industrial zoning districts. The petitioner is also requesting mobile compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling as an accessory component of the facility, which requires approved of a Variation of Use to allow above-ground fuel tanks in the I-1 district. Additionally, the petitioner is requesting container storage and stacking up to three containers high at the proposed facility, which requires approval of a separate Special Use Permit and Variation of Use.
Whimsy Trucking provides transportation services related to intermodal freight hauling, transferring, and storage. They have headquarters in Mount Prospect, Illinois, several yards in the Chicagoland area, and an existing truck terminal south of the subject site at 3901 Houbolt Road. The proposed development at 23656 S. Houbolt Road would include a 3,000-square-foot office building, employee parking, and a trailer parking area with around 105 stalls. According to the petitioner, the proposed facility would serve around 20 trucks from Whimsy’s fleet. The petitioner estimates that there would be around 90 to 100 truck trips total to and from the site per day. The facility would be surrounded by a security fence with an access gate for trucks entering the site. There would be one entrance off Houbolt Road.
The subject site is located on the west side of Houbolt Road, which was reconstructed into a four-lane road several years ago when the Houbolt Road Bridge was completed over the Des Plaines River to provide a connection between Interstate 80 and CenterPoint Intermodal Center. The lot is 247 feet wide and 1,239 feet deep with a petroleum pipeline angled across the rear half of the property. The site previously contained a farmstead and is currently vacant. The area surrounding the site is a mix of incorporated City of Joliet and unincorporated Will County. The incorporated City properties have industrial zoning, while the surrounding unincorporated County properties are rural residential and zoned County A-1 (agricultural).
The south side of the subject site is adjacent to a 30-foot-wide unincorporated parcel that contains a driveway for the rural residential property located south of the west side of the subject site. Across the 30-foot parcel to the south of the east side of the subject site is the existing Whimsy terminal at 3901 Houbolt Road. In 2022, the City Council approved the annexation of the 3901 Houbolt Road property, classification to the I-1 (light industrial) district, and a Special Use Permit to allow a truck terminal. Whimsy subsequently developed the site with an approximately 9.5-acre facility containing a logistics building and trailer parking area. Directly adjacent to the north of the subject site is an unincorporated rural residential property. The rear of the subject site abuts a 77-foot-wide pipeline property with County A-1 zoning; to the west of the pipeline is undeveloped CenterPoint property zoned I-TC (intermodal terminal - industrial park).
The petitioner proposes for the facility to include mobile compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling as an accessory component. The fueling station is intended for use by the petitioner’s fleet and is not open to the public. According to the petitioner, it will mainly be used for the trucks that are parked and stored at the subject site, but could occasionally fuel other Whimsy trucks from the neighboring terminal. The mobile fueling unit would consist of CNG storage cylinders and a compression / fueling system mounted on a trailer. The mobile unit would have a similar size and footprint as a standard trailer and would take up the space of a standard trailer stall. Figure 6 of the Zoning Board staff report packet shows one example of a mobile fueling station; the design of the unit differs depending on the provider. The mobile trailer unit would remain in a designated location on site, but could be relocated as needed. The fueling system would be monitored and maintained by a licensed third-party fueling provider and filled several times per week via a CNG tube trailer or other delivery equipment. The system would be required to comply with the International Fire Code, including the installation of protective barriers around the unit.
The petitioner needs a Variation of Use to allow the mobile CNG fueling system on the site because the Zoning Ordinance only permits above-ground fuel tanks in the I-2 (general industrial) and I-3 (heavy industrial) zoning districts. According to the petitioner, the operational impacts of the mobile fueling unit are similar to typical equipment found at trucking facilities and will not cause additional effects beyond normal trucking operations. The fueling system operates at sound levels similar to typical industrial equipment such as HVAC units or shop compressors. The fuel tanks will not be permanently installed on the site and therefore could be removed if site operations were to change in the future.
The site will need to have perimeter landscaping in accordance with the Zoning Ordinance’s Landscape and Screening Regulations, including a 30-foot landscape area along the east side and a 15-foot landscape area along the north and south sides adjacent to the facility. There is no development planned on the portion of the site south of the pipeline that runs across the rear of the property. Landscape improvements will not be required on or south of the pipeline.
The development will be required to comply with other Zoning Ordinance requirements, including but not limited to the non-residential design standards and the parking standards. The trailer parking stalls will be subject to the payment in lieu of taxes (PILOT) program per the terms of the approved ordinance for truck parking facilities. The site will be required to connect to City water and sewer at the time of development. Water and sewer connection fees and development impact fees will be required. All public improvements will be required per the Subdivision Regulations and the requirements of the Public Works and Public Utilities Departments.
The truck parking facility request meets the criteria for special uses. The establishment and operation of the proposed special use will not be detrimental to public health and safety nor will it impede the normal and orderly development and improvement of the surrounding property. The surrounding area already contains industrial zoning and industrial developments, and the proposal is consistent with these existing uses. Additionally, adequate access is provided, City utilities are available in the area, and the site will be required to provide adequate stormwater detention. The site is located along Houbolt Road, which provides access to both the Joliet and Elwood intermodal terminals, as well as to the Houbolt Road Bridge. The site would be subject to the yearly fee for each trailer stall through the Payment In Lieu of Taxes program for truck parking facilities.
The variation of use request for above-ground fuel tanks meets the applicable criteria. The storage cylinders would not be permanently installed on site, but would be part of a mobile CNG fueling station which cannot be located underground. The external effects and appearance of the station are similar to other components of a typical industrial site. The system will be maintained by a licensed fueling provider and will be required to meet applicable building and safety codes. Approval of the variation of use will allow the petitioner to fuel their fleet with an alternative fuel source.
ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS PUBLIC HEARING:
The Zoning Board of Appeals held a public hearing on this matter at their meeting on May 21, 2026. John Argoudelis, attorney, represented the petition. One person spoke in opposition to the petition. Meeting minutes are attached.
RECOMMENDATION OF THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS:
recommendation
Jesse Stiff moved that the Zoning Board of Appeals recommend approval of the Special Use Permit to allow a truck parking facility with mobile compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling as an accessory component, located at 23656 S. Houbolt Road, subject to the following conditions:
1. That the property shall be enrolled in the Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT) program as per the terms of the PILOT Program Ordinance;
2. That a landscape plan that meets City Ordinance shall be submitted as part of the building permit plan set and landscaping per the approved plan shall be installed prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy;
3. That the Special Use granted herein, per Section 47-5.2(E) Special Uses, shall terminate and lapse unless a building permit or certificate of occupancy is obtained not later than 180 days of the effective date of this ordinance and the erection or alteration of a building is started or the use is commenced within such period; and
4. Should the property be declared a public nuisance, it may be subject to a rehearing and a possible revocation of the Special Use Permit.
Ralph Bias seconded the motion, which passed with three (3) aye votes and two (2) votes. Voting aye were: Bias, Hennessy, and Stiff. Voting nay were: Radakovich and McGrath Schmig. Absent were: Nachtrieb.
Ralph Bias moved that the Zoning Board of Appeals recommend approval of the Variation of Use to allow above-ground fuel tanks for compressed natural gas fueling in the I-1 (light industrial) district, located at 23656 S. Houbolt Road, subject to the following conditions:
1. Should the property be declared a public nuisance, it may be subject to a rehearing and a possible revocation of the Variation of Use.
Jesse Stiff seconded the motion, which passed with three (3) aye votes and two (2) votes. Voting aye were: Bias, Hennessy, and Stiff. Voting nay were: Radakovich and McGrath Schmig. Absent were: Nachtrieb.
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Staff concurs with the recommendation of the Zoning Board of Appeals and recommends that the Mayor and City Council adopt the following, subject to the same conditions approved by the Zoning Board of Appeals above:
1. Ordinance Approving a Special Use Permit to Allow a Truck Parking Facility with Mobile Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) Fueling as an Accessory Component
2. Ordinance Approving a Variation of Use to Allow Above-Ground Fuel Tanks for Compressed Natural Gas Fueling in the I-1 (Light Industrial) District
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