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Elgin planning panel recommends overflow parking lease for Brilliant Subaru at Russo lot
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Summary
On Aug. 4, 2025, the Elgin Planning and Zoning Commission voted 5-0 to recommend that City Council approve a conditional-use request allowing Brilliant Subaru to lease 74 overflow parking spaces at the Russo property at 1001 N. Randall Road.
Elgin Planning and Zoning Commission members voted Aug. 4, 2025, to recommend City Council approve petition 19-25, a conditional-use request that would allow Brilliant Subaru to lease 74 parking spaces at the Russo property, 1001 North Randall Road, for overflow vehicle inventory.
The request covers a 12.8-acre lot commonly called the Russo lot, within the Planned Area Business (PAB) zoning district. City planner Ford Demir told the commission that Russo’s existing building totals about 120,000 square feet and the site will include 628 spaces after a new Starbucks outlot is finished. Demir said the zoning ordinance requires 418 spaces for the Russo retail store and 39 for an indoor sports training tenant, leaving 74 spaces that are not required by ordinance; staff therefore recommended approval “subject to the conditions in the packet.”
The petitioner, Jim Daluga, general manager at Brilliant Subaru, said the leased spaces would be used primarily for new-car inventory and certified pre-owned vehicles. Daluga said changes in Subaru production have reduced the dealership’s allocations and that the leased spaces would be a temporary inventory solution. “I would not anticipate that we would really get too close to having or needing the full 74 spots,” Daluga said, and he added the dealership expects only “one or two movements of vehicles per day,” limiting traffic to and from the Russo lot.
Commissioners asked few questions of staff and the petitioner. Demir said the proposed lease could be terminated if on-site parking availability becomes a problem in the future. The commission approved a motion to recommend City Council accept the petition and the staff findings; the roll-call vote recorded five yes votes and no no votes.
Why it matters: the recommendation allows a motor-vehicle dealer off-site to use a large nearby parking area for inventory, a practice that requires conditional-use approval in Elgin when the parking is not accessory to on-site tenants. The decision is advisory; final approval rests with City Council.
Key details: - Site: 1001 North Randall Road (Russo lot), approx. 12.8 acres; Russo building ~120,000 sq. ft. - Existing/proposed parking counts: total site 628 spaces after Starbucks construction; 97 spaces used for outdoor product display; 74 surplus spaces requested for lease by Brilliant Subaru. - Zoning: Planned Area Business (PAB), established 2022 for this area. - Applicant/owner: Brilliant Subaru (applicant); Kane Holdings LLC (property owner). - Staff recommendation: approval subject to conditions in the staff packet. - Commission action: recommended approval to City Council, vote 5-0.
Next steps: The commission’s recommendation and the staff report will be forwarded to City Council for consideration on scheduled council dates identified by staff.
