A new truck stop in Effingham is one step closer to groundbreaking as of Tuesday night. The City of Effingham Plan Commission approved a final site plan for a proposed Speedway Truck Stop/Convenient Store on Fayette Avenue in the lot between Comfort Suites and Walgreens. The lot is already zoned appropriately for the project.
As part of the project, the small stretch of Raney on the north side Fayette would be expanded with a cul-de-sac installed at the end. Any future development on the property would be required to extend Raney further into Rollin Hills Subdivision.
Comfort Suites Owner Richard Beatty attended the plan commission meeting to express some concerns with the project. While he said that he wasn’t there to stop it from happening, he was concerned about trucks pulling in and out within such close proximity to the Hotel. “I think the ground is going to shake,” Beatty remarked. “Of course the the noise pollution will be there all night long,” he continued. Beatty stated that the addition of the truck stop could hurt business at the hotel. However, comfort Suites does have ingress/egress easement over the piece of Raney and would need to release that in order for Speedway to extend the road and build the entrance to the truck stop.
The project’s rear lot would end about 200 feet away from the Rollin Hills neighborhood. Speedway has agreed to plant various trees and shrubbery in that green space between the lot between the subdivision.
Board Chariman Greg Kemper said that he would take Beatty’s concerns into consideration. The board voted to recommend the site plan to the city council who will discuss the issue next Tuesday.
In other action the board agreed to approve another plat on Rt. 33/32 at Nazarene Road that subdivides the property in two. Also approved, was the rezoning of a property 802 Old S. Maple from light industrial to Family Duplex Dwelling. Owner Phillip Miller is looking to renovate a vacated home on the property to rent out as two one-bedroom apartments.