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Gurnee board approves Burger King glazing variance for new prototype building
Summary
The Village of Gurnee Planning & Zoning Board approved a design-standard modification allowing less than 50% front‑façade glazing on the south elevation of a new Burger King at 5300 Route 132 after petitioner said the restaurant prototype and kitchen layout make the standard infeasible.
The Village of Gurnee Planning and Zoning Board on May 7 approved a design‑standard modification to allow less than the 50% front‑façade glazing required by the village zoning code for a proposed new Burger King at 5300 Route 132 (Grand Avenue).
The petitioner, Tom Savoca, architect with MRV Architects, requested relief after presenting a new Burger King prototype that the team said places kitchen and back‑of‑house functions along the south and west facades. "We cannot meet the 50% glazing requirement on the south facade due to the orientation of the building and the layout of our new prototype," Savoca said. He told the board the proposed south facade would provide about 26.8% glazing.
The modification matters because the zoning ordinance’s glazing standard is intended to produce storefront‑style frontages; staff said the eastern frontage facing Lawson Boulevard complies, but the south facade would not because it must screen kitchen, plumbing and drive‑thru operations. Savoca said franchise design constraints limit changes: "It is a new prototype, that's going to be the future of Burger King restaurants, and they do have very specific design standards and looks they want to achieve. So there's not a whole lot of flexibility." He also said spandrel glass was not counted toward the glazed area under current rules.
Board members asked about the proposed glazing percentage and whether previous single‑user drive‑through cases had similar issues. One member compared the proposal to earlier work on Raising Cane’s and noted the board had handled comparable requests by modifying standards or approving through a PUD. After a motion to approve the petitioner’s request (consistent with the petitioner’s testimony) and a second, the board conducted a roll call and the motion carried.
The approval as recorded is a variance from the design‑standard glazing requirement for the south facade only. The petitioner said the existing Burger King on the property, built in 1986, will be demolished and replaced with the new prototype that includes double drive‑thru lanes and a merge lane pickup.
Board members and staff framed the decision narrowly: the variance addresses the south elevation’s glazing; the east frontage remains compliant, and the petitioner agreed to the building design details presented to the board. The motion passed by roll call; board members voting in favor included Campbell, Martin, Morgan, Taft and Ware (roll call recorded on the meeting audio).
