Kane County Reporter

The Huntley Village Board discussed a new site plan for a car dealership during its March 23 meeting.

The board was presented with a final plan of consolidation and a site plan review for a Huntley Ford vehicle dealership at 13900 Automall Drive. The business is trying to build a new vehicle display lot, which may include zoning reliefs. The board first discussed the topic in July 2022, and while some aspects of the project have changed over time, the current version is still similar to the concept presented then.

The dealership wants to consolidate its current 5-acre property, Lot 1, with the proposed 4-acre addition, Lot 2. The new 9.01-acre lot will have 526 feet of frontage on Automall Drive as the secondary lot is right next to the current parking lot. The dealership is requesting reliefs from the Village Board, as the new figures will not meet the zoning requirements that would have them maintain a 15+ acre lot and approximately 600 feet of frontage. It has already been granted reliefs, as its current property and frontage are even smaller than the proposed addition. It will also be adding a new sign along Route 47.

The new display lot will have 350 new parking spaces for display vehicles, with all of them being set back 25 feet from the west property line and approximately 85 feet away from the side of Route 47. The lot as a whole will be surrounded by a metal fence with a rolling access door in the new lot, although said fence will also require a relief from the village for it. There will be cross-access between the old and new parking lots, and the dealership has accommodated all of the improvements and the new lot with its stormwater management system in the north. It is also adding landscaping and islands to the lot, with 44 shade trees, nine ornamental trees, and nine evergreen trees, along with shrubs and flowers.

"Planning Commission reviewed the request on Feb. 13," Huntley director of Development Services Charles Nordman said. "They did recommend approval by a vote of 5 to 0, subject to eight conditions. These are typical conditions of approval, for the most part, with exception to four conditions, which I'll call out. You see condition three which requires parking areas for the display vehicle sales only: vehicle display lot shall not be used for any other type of outside storage or automobile repair activities. On number four, parking spaces shall not be leased to an off-premise business. Condition five: All parking and display shall take place on paved surfaces, and then Planning Commission added condition number eight that no on-street parking or display is permitted."

The board ultimately approved the requests.