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Council approves rezoning for 1219 East Rickleman Avenue despite resident safety concerns
Summary
The Effingham City Council approved Ordinance 77-20-25 to rezone 1219 E. Rickleman Ave from NU to B2 after hearing a resident raise traffic and safety concerns; council directed staff to consult IDOT about signal timing.
The Effingham City Council voted to approve Ordinance 77-20-25, rezoning 1219 East Rickleman Avenue from NU (non-urban) to B2 (General Commercial).
Resident Diana Dragnia spoke during public comment opposing the change, saying the area already suffers heavy traffic from a nearby truck stop and a new commercial zone would increase truck and customer traffic. "I totaled my car because of that pilot truck stop," Dragnia said, and she asked the council to consider impacts on road width, traffic signals and property values.
Council members discussed traffic-signal timing at the Route 45 intersection and asked staff to contact the Illinois Department of Transportation to evaluate whether train-related signal delays can be adjusted. Commissioner Stevens moved to pass the ordinance; Commissioner Niebuhr seconded. The roll call recorded Mayor Schutzbach voting "Nay" and multiple commissioners voting "Yay," resulting in adoption of the rezoning ordinance.
The council noted this item had appeared on prior agendas and that a prior attempt to vote was withdrawn for procedural reasons. Staff flagged the need for further review of local road geometry and signal timing as follow-up actions.
Next steps: staff will contact IDOT to review the intersection and return updates to the council if revisions to traffic control or roadway geometry are recommended.
