In the end, the Countryside City Council prefers eating Mongolian BBQ to repairing large trucks.
The council at its Jan. 14 meeting voted 5-0 in favor of an ordinance authorizing the sale of the former city hall site at the southwest corner of 55th Street and East Avenue to QuickRun for $1.2 million.
QuickRun plans to build a gas station near the corner of 55th and East and a HuHot Mongolian Grill on the south end of the site near 56th Street.
Significant berms are planned along 56th Street to shield residents from noise, officials said.
The other bidder for the site, Westfield Ford, had proposed building a state-of-the-art facility where large trucks would be serviced in at least 25 service bays.
A source said Westfield Ford bid $900,000 for the four-acre site. A call to the dealership was not returned.
City Administrator Gail Paul said the purchase contract includes the gas station, restaurant and a third business yet to be determined.
“This is all dependent on the staff negotiating a redevelopment agreement with the group that will be presented to the economic development committee for (its) approval and ultimately to the city council,” Paul said.
“We will not close on the property until all of that is done,” she said.
The gas station will not be for diesel trucks, Ald. John Finn (1st) said. That had been a bone of contention for residents in the ward regarding an earlier proposed development.
Contacted on his cell phone the morning of Jan. 15, QuickRun Business Manager Paramvir Singh was thrilled by the council’s decision.
“Thanks for the great news. I didn’t know. Awesome, buddy. Now it’s more work and get it done,” he said from a QuickRun location in Highland, Indiana.
“There are a lot of things we have to get done. … But I’d start tomorrow if I could,” Singh said.
QuickRun, which started five years ago, has 14 locations, including Alsip, Crest Hill and Lemont.
He’s hoping to get Shell for the gas station.
He mentioned sandwich shops, a taco store, doughnut store or coffee shop as possible choices for the third tenant.
“The biggest delay will be with IDOT. Every single project I do. That will be the biggest holdup for my construction, but this is the best news I’ve heard this year,” Singh added.
After the meeting, McDermott said, “We’re looking forward to bringing in a nice development to the community that will bring in significant sales tax revenue and help our ongoing efforts to not levy a municipal property tax.”
“HuHot will be a nice addition. The hours are fairly limited. This is a restaurant, not a late-night establishment, but all that gets hammered out.
“The real benefit is the developer is interested in working with us to put as much buffer on the south end of the property as they can in terms of open space,” McDermott said.
The restaurant as planned would be 4,600 square feet with another 1,400 square feet for outdoor dining on a patio, Singh said in November.
It’s projected the development will generate $625,000 in taxes in the first full year, he said. That’s from sales tax, fuel tax, gaming tax and restaurant tax, he said.
During public comments at the meeting, Beatriz Sutkus, who lives near the site and ran for alderman in 2023, implored the city council to not bring in a gas station.
“We want something family friendly,” she said.
“Restaurants are generally family friendly,” McDermott said after the vote.
“We have to work out the details with the developer but it looks like it will be a really nice addition. It’s also in our TIF district so it brings in a significant amount of TIF money as well as sales tax,” McDermott said.
About $250,000 is expected from TIF increment financing in Year One, he said.
Finn, who in November said he wished the city had room for both proposed developments, was pleased with the decision.
“I’m excited about that new restaurant. No trucks (at the gas station). There’s going to be more room for landscaping. No entrances or exits on 56th Street,” Finn said.
Asked if his constituents in the ward will be pleased, he said, “We’ll see.”
“Some people don’t like change. It’s tough. But when you live in a town like us, everyone has to give a little bit.
“There are developments on everyone’s corner. All over town. Bars, restaurants, gas stations. This (restaurant) will have a bar, but somebody’s not going there to drink. They might go there for dinner and have a drink after,” Finn said.
Al Dostal, who lives on 56th Street near the site said, “It’s better than what they had proposed before.”
A previous developer had proposed a fueling station for trucks, an ethnic grocery store and a brew pub with a rooftop beer garden.
After granting numerous extensions over several years, the city council grew weary of waiting and last year opened the site for new bids.
Dostal and wife Rosemary recently visited a HuHot restaurant in suburban Milwaukee. “It’s okay,” Al said.
Like many residents, Rosemary expected Westfield Ford was going to win the bidding, given how it’s been at the corner of Joliet Road and La Grange Road in the city for 40 years.
“The residents would prefer Ford,” said Rosemary, who ran for alderman in the 1st Ward in 2025.
A truck repair shop “might be a little quieter,” Al Dostal added.
Countryside resident John Harris, who ran for office in the last two municipal elections, said he likes the development.
“The gas station will be closer to 55th and East. The restaurant will be closer to 56th and the houses. You’ll have to smell the food (cooking) but it’s more money in the pocket for the city,” Harris said.
His big concern is traffic, especially after IDOT reconfigured 55th Street eastbound from La Grange Road to East Avenue. IDOT has created a right-turn lane, often resulting in long backups.
“The traffic over there is messed up. How is that going to affect a gas station?” Harris said.
The council spent 20 minutes in executive session to discuss the matter before it reconvened and approved the ordinance to authorize the sale.
Ald. John Von Drasek (2nd), who chairs the economic development committee, was unable to attend the city council meeting on Jan. 14.
In November, after presentations from each bidder to the committee, Von Drasek said determining who pays for demolition of the former city hall building was “on the table.”
The city is now seeking demolition bids for two former municipal buildings. Bids are due by 2 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 4.
The former municipal buildings to be demolished will be open for inspection on Thursday, January 29, from 10 a.m. until noon.