Roselle trustees weigh allowing left-turn exit for proposed Jet Bright car wash

The Roselle Village Board on March 23 spent its primary new-business discussion on a proposal from Jet Bright (Jetbrite) to add a three-quarter access at 1629 South Roselle Road that would allow left turns onto Roselle Road.

Chris Kolasheski of WT Group, the project's engineer, and owner David D'Alessandro presented revised site plans showing a shortened 168-foot building, channelized three-lane circulation, decorative automated gates and detector loops, an expanded island layout and a double-sided noise-abatement fence. Kolasheski said Cook County Highway Department has issued a permit for the curb cut and emphasized both safety and convenience: "Customer satisfaction is dependent on two things: they feel safe on the site going on and off the site, and they feel it's convenient for them," he said.

D'Alessandro and his operations staff explained how the gates would work during peak days. He said managers would close certain gates when queues threaten to back onto Roselle Road and that the company trains staff to manage busy periods. "If the car comes out of the car wash and it can't move, then the whole thing shuts down. And the minute that car wash shuts down, that's the manager's cue that things are getting backed up and immediately close that gate," D'Alessandro said.

Police Chief Broda and several trustees pressed for objective thresholds and cautioned against leaving the decision solely to an on-site employee. "We see that people turning left on Roselle Road... you're going to have to get a backup across Roselle Road or an accident before the managers [act]," Broda told the board, describing the risk of queueing that could block lanes and require public-safety intervention.

Trustees asked whether the manager's decision to close gates would follow objective metrics such as a painted queuing limit or a measured number of cars. Kolasheski said the design includes detector loops and line markings that could trigger closure; D'Alessandro said the business would close gates promptly when queues form.

Board members were split. Some trustees said the three-lane, channelized approach and gates mitigate risks and could support redevelopment of a long-vacant site. Others said they were not comfortable authorizing an unrestricted left-turn exit because a neighboring property does not have the same privilege and because local traffic patterns differ from county conditions cited in the Cook County permit. "Left turns are dangerous," one trustee said, noting heavy vehicles and peak-period stackings at nearby intersections.

Mayor Pleski and several trustees asked staff and legal counsel to draft enforceable options: (1) approve the site but defer construction or activation of the left-turn exit until on-site data support it; (2) approve the left-turn with a written condition giving the village discretionary authority to close the curb cut if it creates safety issues; or (3) provide specific operational triggers (queue lengths, signage, hours) to govern when the left-turn can be used. Staff was directed to return with recommended language and implementation options.

The board did not make a final vote on the left-turn exit at the meeting. Trustees expressed support for redevelopment and the project generally but said they needed stronger, enforceable controls or a phased approach before granting permanent, unrestricted left-turn access onto Roselle Road.