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Planning commission approves site plan for gas station and car wash at 191st and Harlem
Summary
The Planning Commission granted site‑plan and architectural approval for a gas station with a car wash and two drive‑through tenants at 191st Street and Harlem (Brookside Creek retail center); the motion carried on roll call (majority yes) and will proceed to the Village Board for final review.
The Tinley Park Planning Commission voted to grant site‑plan and architectural approval for a proposed gas station with an attached convenience store, single‑vehicle automatic car wash, indoor/outdoor vacuum stalls and two quick‑service drive‑through restaurants at the Brookside Creek retail center (southwest corner of 191st and Harlem).
Applicant representatives described revisions intended to address landscaping and signage concerns raised at a prior May meeting: they added trees along 191st, reduced the number of wall signs and lowered the main gas station sign to meet the 10‑foot height maximum. "We have now even reduced that further from 750 to 614 square feet," said Chris Kalish, an applicant representative, referring to overall requested signage area.
Staff said the site is more than 1,000 feet from the nearest residence, supplied truck‑turn and emergency‑vehicle circulation analyses, and confirmed that the revised plan keeps the site within applicable ordinance standards while seeking limited relief on sign‑ratio layout. The plan as presented includes 18 fueling bays, a single‑vehicle tunnel car wash, and circulation for drive‑through queuing.
Commission discussion focused on signage quantity and layout, intuitive site routing for safety and driver wayfinding, and landscape screening. Commissioner Manning dissented on the motion and voiced continued concern with the signage approach: "I found it kind of insulting," he said during discussion. Applicant representatives responded that their approach reduces total sign square footage and places signs to identify multiple tenants safely.
A motion to grant site‑plan and architectural approval (adopting the 07/16/2026 staff findings and subject to final village‑engineer review) was made, seconded and carried by roll call (Commissioners Alba, Gaskell, Hamilton, Seppesy/Sapisi and Chairman Gray voted yes; Commissioner Manning voted no). Staff and applicants were instructed to coordinate for the Village Board first reading on July 21.
Next step: The approval will be forwarded to the Village Board for the final approvals required for construction; applicants were asked to meet with village staff and the village engineer for any final technical reviews.
