CITY COUNCIL AGENDA ITEM
ACTION REQUESTED:
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Pass the ordinance granting a conditional use and a variance for an automobile service station located at 20 E. Ogden Avenue (Casey’s) - PZC 24-1-111/DEV-0044-2025
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DEPARTMENT: Transportation, Engineering and Development
SUBMITTED BY: Anna Franco, AICP, Community Planner
BOARD/COMMISSION REVIEW:
The Planning and Zoning Commission conducted the public hearing regarding PZC 24-1-111/DEV-0044-2025 on May 7, 2025 and recommended approval of the petitioner’s request (approved 9-0). Staff concurs.
BACKGROUND:
The subject property is approximately 0.73-acres located at the southeast intersection of Ogden Avenue and Washington Street and has been occupied by an automobile service station including a one-story Bucky’s convenience store building, canopy structure, and associated site improvements. The subject property is zoned B3 (General Commercial District) and the B3 zoning district classifies automobile service stations as a conditional use.
Access to the property is currently provided via two-curb cuts on Ogden Avenue and one curb cut on Washington Street. Adjacent uses include a spa zoned OCI and single-family and duplex residential across the Washington Street Alley to the east, a single-family home to the south, retail buildings and parking to the west across Washington Street, and PNC Bank across Odgen Avenue to the north.
DISCUSSION:
The owner and petitioner, Casey’s Retail Company, requests approval of a conditional use for an automobile service station and variance to the major arterial setback to demolish the existing automobile service station building and redevelop the property with an automobile service station, including a new 3,218 square-foot, one-story convenience store.
Conditional Use
In 2016, a text amendment was processed to revise the B3 zoning district and require conditional uses for automobile service stations. Automobile service stations were identified as a type of use that serves customers and in part requires commercial visibility to be successful, however, these uses have the potential to adversely impact the intended retail nature of commercial corridors as well as adjacent properties. Accordingly, the code was revised to require conditional use approval to provide an additional level of review by the PZC and the City Council in order to determine if the potential use is appropriate for the proposed location based on the specifics of the case presented.
Gas stations which were in operation at the time that the code was amended, including the subject gas station, were deemed an existing non-conforming use. However, the demolition of the existing convenience store building triggers the requirement for the petitioner to seek and obtain conditional use approval for construction of the new convenience store.
Staff’s analysis of an automobile service station on the subject property considers zoning classifications and land uses in the surrounding area, the existing land use of the subject property, and consistency with the Land Use Master Plan. The Land Use Master Plan (2022) identifies the future place type of the property as “City Corridor”. Gas stations are identified as an example of a primary use in City Corridors. Therefore, staff finds the petitioner’s proposal to be consistent with this designation.
Given the property’s location at a major intersection, the Land Use Master Plan future place type designation, and the existing land use of the subject property, staff finds the proposed automobile service station to be compatible with the surrounding area and an improvement to the existing conditions of the site.
Findings of Fact
The petitioner’s responses to the Standards for Granting a Conditional Use can be found in the attachments. Upon review, the Planning and Zoning Commission and staff agree with the petitioner’s findings and recommend their adoption by the City Council.
Major Arterial Setback Variance
The petitioner is requesting a variance from Section 6-2-14 to allow replacement light poles within the required 20-foot major arterial setback. Currently there is one light pole located along Odgen Avenue and two light poles located along Washington Street. All three existing light poles are located within the required major arterial setback.
The petitioner is proposing to replace the three existing light poles with three new 12-foot-high poles that are located in largely the same location as the existing poles, thus triggering the need for a variance. Staff is supportive of the request and finds the location of the light poles acceptable due to compliance with the City’s exterior lighting standards and the necessity to provide adequate site lighting for vehicular and pedestrian safety.
Findings of Fact
The petitioner’s responses to the Standards for Granting a Variance can be found in the attachments. Upon review, the Planning and Zoning Commission and staff agree with the petitioner’s findings and recommend their adoption by the City Council.
Building Elevations & Signage
The proposed 24’-5” feet high single-story building is comprised primarily of antique red colored brick with some tan colored shingled siding and complies with all applicable building setbacks. Staff finds that the proposed building elevations utilize four-sided architecture and high-quality materials and are consistent with the City’s Building Design Guidelines.
The same materials and colors are used for the trash enclosure, which will be relocated to the west side of the building, along Washington Street. The petitioner has revised their plans and is now proposing a new canopy to be located over the fueling stations instead of re-facing the existing canopy with Casey’s branding; the petitioner will also wrap the canopy columns in brick.
Currently a large non-conforming pole sign is located along the Ogden Avenue frontage. The petitioner proposes replacing the existing sign with a ground sign along Ogden Avenue and employ the same antique red colored brick as the proposed building. The new ground sign complies with the East Ogden Avenue monument sign standards.
Landscape Plan, Fencing & Site Access
Due to likely intense activity within a City Corridor, the Land Use Master Plan encourages appropriate screening and buffering to mitigate any negative impacts on adjacent properties. The Casey’s proposal achieves this by providing landscaping where possible around the perimeter of the property, foundation plantings where possible around the base of the building, and the required landscaping around the base of the proposed monument sign.
The petitioner is also proposing a new six-foot stockade fence along most of the eastern perimeter of the property to replace the existing decaying fence and to provide required screening of parking areas on the property. The six-foot stockade fence is also located along most of the southern perimeter of the property as all trees along the southern portion of the property will be removed due to site grading and installation of a new storm sewer line. Shrubbery is being proposed in this area of the property as deeper rooted trees pose potential conflict with the new storm sewer line.
As part of the redevelopment request, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) is requesting that the existing westernmost curb cut on Ogden Avenue be removed to reduce the number of access points to the property. The curb cut will be filled in with turf seed and low-lying shrub plantings to create a continuous landscape area at this corner of the Ogden Avenue and Washington Street intersection.
Planning and Zoning Commission Action
The Planning and Zoning Commission conducted the public hearing to consider PZC 24-1-111/DEV-0044-2025 at the May 7, 2025 meeting. Two adjacent residents spoke at the meeting. One resident voiced concerns regarding vehicular traffic and access to the site and the other resident requested that a taller fence be installed along the east property line of the subject property to provide additional screening for his property. The Planning and Zoning Commission discussed the cited traffic concerns and generally agreed that the modified site access design was an overall improvement to the existing conditions. The Planning and Zoning Commission closed the public hearing and voted to recommend approval of the petitioner’s request (approved 9-0). Staff concurs.
Post Planning and Zoning Commission Plan Changes
The petitioner has since modified their plans to relocate the existing gas tanks from their current location to further north on the site, replace the site asphalt with concrete, and replace the existing fueling station canopy with a new canopy with brick pillars. Staff finds these changes acceptable and finds that the changes do not affect the requested entitlements recommended for approval by the Planning and Zoning Commission.
Key Takeaways
1. The petitioner is requesting approval of a conditional use to allow an automobile service station in the B3 Zoning District and a variance to reduce the major arterial setback along the west and north property line for replacement light poles.
2. The Planning and Zoning Commission and staff are in support of the requests due to the commercial nature of the corridor, the existing land use of the site, quality building design, and the site improvements proposed.
FISCAL IMPACT:
N/A