Trucks still a hot topic for Village Board

Truck lots continue to be a divisive topic for the Plainfield Village Board.

At the Dec. 2 meeting, trustees voted 3-2 against a semi-truck parking facility slated for the Plainfield Small Business Park at 13611 S. Route 30.

“(Two meetings prior) we voted in a truck maintenance yard with 40 spots. I just saw a truck blow through a stoplight. Is this the type of business we want to bring to Plainfield for more trucks?,” Trustee Kevin Calkins asked.

Director of Planning Jonathan Proulx noted the property, which is south of the 135th Street intersection and the electronics recycling facility, has been zoned for industrial use since the early 1980s.

“Truck parking is permitted by right, the board (is being asked) does the site plan comply with the requirements?,” Proulx said.

Property owners sought approval for a paved area for 90 trucks with pull-through parking, scaled down from an earlier plan for 124 spaces. The lot was not designed for a fleet, but for independent truckers who live in the area to switch between their trucks and personal vehicles.

“The parking lot would not function as a truck stop or freight terminal,” Proulx wrote to the trustees. “There would be no truck fueling, no restrooms, no warehouse or storage of goods or cross-dock operations.”

But some trustees still objected to a potential increase in freight traffic.

“It’s so close to the signal at Route 30 and 135th Street,” Trustee Harry Benton said. “With trucks pulling out all the time with current development...I don’t think it’s a safe development.”

“At certain times of day, traffic already backs up to the next intersection. I don’t think they’ll put a signal there,” Benton said.

“It’s not that we’re actively going out trying to find truck yards,” said Trustee Margie Bonuchi. “That area has been an industrial zone and they built houses around it. It’s not the ideal situation, but that’s what it was designed to be.”