South Cook News

On Thursday, the Tinley Park Planning Commission is set to consider a special use permit and zoning change that would allow Mayor Michael Glotz's top political donor, Leonard McEnery, to build a new Lenny's Gas N Wash truck stop on the southeast corner of LaGrange and 183rd Street.

Since Glotz was elected in 2021, a series of "Lenny's Gas N Wash" corporations have donated $31,270 to the mayor' and his One Tinley Park political action committee.

McEnrey's pitch to build a third truck stop in Tinley Park was originally slated to be considered at a November meeting of the village's Advisory Commission on Labor and Development.

That meeting was cancelled. And the advisory commission, which was established by Glotz, hasn't held a meeting since. The village has never posted a reason for cancelling the "Gas N Was" agenda item or any of the scheduled ACLD meetings.

For months, plans for a Gas N Wash on "LaGrange" seemed stalled.

Over two weeks in February, the "Gas N Wash" owner donated $20,000 to campaign funds controlled Mayor Glotz

In all, eight different "Lenny's Gas N Wash" companies donated $2,500 each — a total of $20,000 — to Friends of Glotz and the One Tinley Park political action committee, which lists Glotz as the campaign fund's treasurer.

At a May 7 public meeting, Glotz honored Gas N Wash as a "spotlight" business in Tinley Park.

The honor was memorialized on the village of Tinley Park's YouTube channel. After accepting the mayor's public praise, the video shows Lenny's Gas N Wash vice president Alex Kugar announcing that the gas station chain's plan to open a new location on LaGrange Road.

  

On June 1, the Plan Commission discussed plans for the proposed Gas N Wash at 18301 LaGrange Road which call for a gas station with a convenience store, car wash, and two drive-thru restaurant uses. The debate raised questions about the site's challenging topography and impact on traffic patterns, among other things.

Commissioner Terry Hamilton said there appeared to be "conflicting goals" for the site and questioned whether the project should be delayed.

Dan Ritter, Mayor Glotz's community development director, said the village plans to forward the proposal for a vote on Thursday, unless a delay is necessary, according to public records.

No one from the public attended the June 1 meeting.

The Planning Commission is set to vote on the Gas N Wash proposal at village hall on Thursday, June 15 at 7 p.m. The agenda and voting packet are available online.