TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Dustin Anderson, Director of Community Development
SUBJECT:
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Ordinance Approving a Special Use Permit to Allow a Truck Maintenance Facility, Located at 3501 Channahon Road (ZBA 2026-02)
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BACKGROUND:
The petitioner and property owner, IFH Properties LLC, is requesting a Special Use Permit to allow a truck maintenance facility in the I-1 (light industrial) district at 3501 Channahon Road. The proposed development would contain an office and maintenance building with associated truck and trailer parking for the owner’s freight carrier business, Interstate Freights LLC. Interstate Freights is an over-the-road truck carrier that currently maintains an office in Naperville and a truck parking location in Summit, Illinois. The petitioner would like to consolidate their operations at the subject site to serve their fleet of around 50 trucks, which are primarily out on the road and would use this location for maintenance as needed. The petitioner estimates that there will be around four truck trips to and from the site per day most days of the week, with around seven trips per day on Fridays. Proposed hours of operation are 7 AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday. The location would initially have around five employees with the potential for up to ten employees.
The 4.7-acre subject site is zoned I-1 (light industrial) and located on U.S Route 6 across from the Ketone industrial park, which is zoned I-2 (general industrial). The west and north sides of the subject site are adjacent to Will County Forest Preserve property. The east side of the site is adjacent to a residential use within unincorporated Will County, zoned County R-2 (single-family residence). The subject site currently contains a vacant commercial building that was occupied by a bar and restaurant business for many years until the fall of 2021. The site has not been redeveloped or occupied by any use since the former business closed. The current owner purchased the property in June 2025.
The proposed site plan contains a 24,300-square-foot building, with around 18,000 square feet for the mechanic bays and associated storage and a 6,300-square-foot office area. Around ten employee parking spaces would be located at the southwest corner of the site next to the building. The remainder of the site would contain a parking area with around 61 trailer stalls. The development would be accessed by one driveway off Channahon Road near the west end of the site. The existing billboard will be removed. The site plan notes that stormwater detention will be provided underground.
The petitioner has submitted a preliminary landscape plan that meets the City’s landscape and screening requirements. There would be a 30-foot landscape area with a berm along most of the property frontage, adjacent to the trailer parking area. The east side of the site, which is adjacent to a residential property in unincorporated Will County, will have the required minimum 15-foot landscape area with a berm as well as an 8-foot solid fence along the property line. The edge of the parking area will be over 30 feet from the east property line. The west and north sides of the site adjacent to the Forest Preserve will have the required 5-foot landscape areas. The north and south sides of the parking area will be enclosed by a 6-foot black vinyl chain link fence.
The proposed site plan and proposed business operations adhere to requirements set forth in the annexation agreement for this property, which include: berming and landscaping adjacent to the residential parcel to the east; removal of the east-most curb-cut onto Route 6; and prohibition on the outdoor storage of cargo containers and vehicle chassis. The development will be required to comply with the City’s Zoning Ordinance requirements, including but not limited to the landscape and screening regulations, 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.
ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS PUBLIC HEARING:
The Zoning Board of Appeals held a public hearing on this matter on January 15, 2026. Heather Glockler with Castle Law, attorney for the petitioner, and Gary Dillman, broker, represented the petition. Two people spoke in opposition to the petition. Meeting minutes are attached.
RECOMMENDATION OF THE ZONING BOARD OF APPEALS:
recommendation
Ralph Bias moved that the Zoning Board of Appeals recommend approval of the Special Use Permit to allow a truck maintenance facility, located at 3501 Channahon Road, subject to the following conditions:
1. 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;
2. That all public improvements as required by the Department of Public Works shall be installed prior to the issuance of a Certificate of Occupancy;
3. That the property shall be enrolled in the Payment In Lieu Of Taxes (PILOT) program as per the terms of the PILOT Program Ordinance;
4. That the Special Use granted shall herein 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. The Board may grant an extension of this period, valid for no more than one hundred and eighty (180) additional days, upon written application and good cause shown without notice or hearing. Whether or not there is an intention to abandon the Special Use, if any special use is discontinued for a continuous period of one year, or if an intent to abandon the Special Use is evident in a shorter period of time, the Special Use for such use shall become void, and such use shall not thereafter be reestablished unless a new Special Use Permit is obtained; and
5. Should the property be declared a public nuisance, it may be subject to a rehearing and a possible revocation of the Special Use Permit.
Jesse Stiff seconded the motion, which passed with seven (7) aye votes and no nay votes. Voting aye were: Bias, Hennessy, Nachtrieb, Radakovich, Roehr, McGrath Schmig, and Stiff. Voting nay were: none. Absent were: none.
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 Maintenance Facility, Located at 3501 Channahon Road
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