WEEK.com reports that Chicago developer Ahmad Abud has yet to receive his approved liquor license from the City. I think it’s fair for him to question why. The council already approved it weeks ago. What’s the holdup?
Of larger concern, though, is this part of the story (emphasis mine):
The grocery store is phase one of the project. Abud wants to build a diesel fuel truck stop on this property next to the grocery store. But before that happens he says he wants more support from the city.
The city should only support Abud if he puts his truck stop someplace else, away from Harrison Homes. Imagine if you were a resident of Harrison Homes. It’s bad enough that you have to live in those conditions, but now imagine someone wants to build a large diesel truck stop in your back yard (this property is literally across a narrow residential street from Harrison Homes). Further imagine that the city was helping him put it there!
No, this is not an appropriate location. The truck stop either needs to be nearer the interstate (I-474) or somewhere along the more industrial portion of Washington (north of where Adams branches off) nearer the destination of many of those trucks. In any case, the place it most certainly does not belong is right next to Harrison Homes, where the some of the poorest of Peoria’s residents live.
Here’s a little test for this project: ask yourself, would this fly if the plan were to put it just north of Route 6, right across the street from some of our fifth-district residents? If not, then it shouldn’t go across from Harrison Homes either. It’s as simple as the golden rule.
hummm… I am sensing déjà vu. Hate to say I told you so, but…
I think his property is eligible for TIF money, so he will propably be getting more “support” soon.
Beth — you and I were always agreed on the truck stop location. 🙂
Oh those people north of route 6 are just starting to get a taste of what is to come. The widening of Knoxville has brought the road right up to the backyards, and the rezoning of that property near the corner of knox and ravenwoods, by the apt complex, from light office to commercial, set the precedent and it is just the beginning.
Just 2 blocks north of there is Wilhelm road. Northwoods Community Church wants to spend a million of their own dollars to widen Allen at Wilhelm so parishioners don’t have to wait 7 minutes to get out of the parking lot. Wilhelm between Knox and Allen has a couple of office buildings along with residential and the church. If they rezoned that earlier property from light office to commercial how are they going to be able to say no on Wilhelm, especially if a significant portion of it gets widened? When they made that decision the dissenting person on the zoning commission said it was going to be University all over again. I agreed but didn’t think it would happen this quickly.
This is off-topic and probably kind of a dumb question, but why do new churches that are no bigger than old churches have such a hard time getting everyone out of the parking lot? I get it if we’re talking mega-church, but I don’t get it when it’s just a regular-size church.
Actually it isn’t a bad location in relation to 474. You get off the interstate, cross over the viaduct, and you’re there. I buy the “it shouldn’t be by Harrison” argument and it shouldn’t. But on a business idea, it’s a decent location. The point of truck stops near the interstates is location, location, location. If it should be on Washington, why not put it on Knoxville.
CJ,
there were a series of conditions to be met with this license. Have they been met? At the last council meeting I was they had not been completely fulfilled and we all know that there is no incentive to complete items once the prize is in hand.
oh, the golden rule. “he who has the gold rules”…that one?
Paul, the conditions were things like “only 12% of the store’s square footage can be alcohol,” security guards need to be off-duty police officers, etc. In other words, these are all things that only be complied with after the store opens, which would require the license to be given first. The license can be revoked if he fails to comply with its terms.