Developer presents gas station and convenience store plan for Gary Ave. corner; trustees press diesel, truck and safety issues

Ross Brown of Rossman Partners presented a courtesy review to the Carol Stream Village Board for a proposed 8,500‑square‑foot convenience store with fuel sales and a drive‑through end cap at 160 E. Lees Road, the southeast corner of Gary Avenue and Lees Road. Brown said the developable portion is about 5.14 acres within a roughly 15‑acre parcel that is otherwise largely wetland, and described two proposed retention ponds, landscaping buffers and a photometric lighting plan to limit spillover into the adjacent town‑center event area.

The project would include a separate diesel canopy with two fueling positions sized to accommodate semis and two additional fueling positions for smaller trucks, a liquor‑store component and a small drive‑through restaurant end cap Brown said would likely be about 1,000 square feet or less. He told trustees the team has an operator lined up for the convenience and liquor components and has secured fuel contracts; engineers are beginning a traffic study to evaluate access and circulation.

Trustees and residents pressed the developer on truck parking, the visual placement of diesel fueling, and public‑safety risks during events at the nearby town center. Trustee Zaylick and other board members repeatedly asked whether diesel fueling could be placed behind the building so the canopy would be out of view. "The diesel fuel is what really is the key here," Mayor Savrino said, explaining that revenue from fuel sales — especially diesel — brings tax dollars from nonresidents that help fund local services. Brown said his firm prefers to keep diesel in the proposal but will revisit layout options and explore whether the fueling can be moved or visually shielded.

Residents compared the plan to issues encountered at a nearby Pilot travel center, where long‑term truck parking and spillover have previously created enforcement and safety problems. Brown said Rossman Partners is a family‑owned developer and intends active, on‑site management and would work with the village on enforcement mechanisms, including shorter time limits and cooperative arrangements that would allow village officers to ticket persistent offenders. "We are locked into this property for 30 years," Brown said, adding the team would supplement village enforcement with management practices; trustees questioned whether controls would be maintained if operators changed.

Board members also raised design and safety concerns tied to town‑center concerts and pedestrian traffic. Trustees asked Brown for a canopy photometric plan to keep lighting on site and minimize glare during evening events and suggested police volunteers or staff monitoring the crosswalk during concerts. Brown said he expected the site would not operate 24 hours and agreed to provide more detailed hours of operation and a lighting plan as the review progresses.

No formal land‑use decision or vote was taken. The item was a courtesy review — pulled from the consent agenda to allow presentation and public comment — and Brown said the team will return with more detailed engineering, the traffic study and photometric plans for subsequent reviews by village staff and the plan commission.