The Village Board of Gurnee on Nov. 17 voted to remand a proposed Dream Clean car wash special-use permit for the property at 7340 Route 132 back to the Planning & Zoning Board for further review.

Trustees considered Ordinance 2025-79 after planning staff and the petitioner outlined revisions submitted since the PZB hearing, including an enhanced stacking plan (staff said the design allows 36 vehicles stacked before interfering with access), additional landscaping, changes to equipment placement to reduce sound, and traffic-calming measures such as center-line striping and a multiway stop on the service road. At the PZB meeting on Oct. 22 the commission issued an unfavorable recommendation, 3–2.

Craig Crandall, attorney for the petitioner, said Dream Clean and the site developer had proposed several changes addressing residents’ concerns and offered to add some off-site mitigation as conditions if the board wished. Mitch Sabadock, Dream Clean director of development, described the site layout (a roughly 5,700-square-foot building with three wash lanes and 16 vacuum stalls), industry-standard hours of operation (8 a.m. to 8 p.m.) and an estimate of about 400 cars per day.

Trustees and staff focused questions on wetland mitigation, lighting that may affect nearby homes, the safety and functionality of the service drive used as a cut-through by motorists, vehicle stacking during peak periods, and whether the updated plans should return to the PZB for additional vetting. Trustees Woodside and Ross explicitly noted reluctance to overturn the PZB’s negative recommendation without the commission’s re-evaluation.

Trustee Garner withdrew a pending approval motion and moved, with Trustee Balmus seconding, to remand the application to the Planning & Zoning Board. The board approved the remand by roll call vote. Staff and trustees said the remand would allow the PZB to consider any new conditions—such as additional plantings, fencing, shields for lights, and traffic-control devices—and provide a clearer recommendation to the Village Board.

Next steps: the item will return to the Planning & Zoning Board for further review and then come back to the Village Board with the commission’s recommendation and any proposed ordinance amendments or conditions.