Editor's Note: The Village Board rejected McDonald's application Tuesday night. Our original story continues below.
A Bakers Square restaurant in Wilmette that has sat vacant for six years could soon become a drive-thru McDonald's, a project that some neighbors are fighting back against.
According to the Village of Wilmette, an application for a drive-thru McDonald's at 200 Skokie Blvd. will be considered at Tuesday's Village Board meeting.
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"The Village Board will carefully and thoughtfully consider the input of residents and the impacts of the proposed use during their deliberations," Wilmette Village Manager Michael Braiman said in an email to NBC Chicago.
The site, at 200 Skokie Blvd. in Wilmette, is surrounded by residences to the north, east and west, with commercial businesses to the south. The now-boarded up building previously housed a Bakers Square restaurant, which shuttered in April of 2019 after operating at the location since the 1990s, a report from the Chicago Tribune said.
One group of Wilmette neighbors said more than 800 people have signed a petition against the construction of a McDonald's drive-thru at the spot, citing concerns of additional traffic, noise, safety issues and toxic emissions. The group also says McDonald's failed to "meet the requirements outlined in the application for a Special Use variance."
"The average McDonald’s generates 1,000 transactions per day with 700 to 800 of those coming from the drive thru," a release from the group said, "With opening hours from 5:30 a.m. until 10:00 p.m. that equates to 1 car per minute turning into and out of the property. The speed limit on Skokie Blvd is 40 miles per hour, and there have already been three accidents at the intersection during the month of December."
The group also argued that the location is zoned only for "neighborhood retail," rather than "commercial retail," and that a drive-thru would be "in direct conflict with Wilmette's Sustainability Plan," which was adopted in 2021 and endeavors to lay out the village's commitment to climate and air quality.
If approved, the location would be Wilmette's first McDonald's restaurant. Other fast-food restaurants in village include Jimmy John's Five Guys, Panda Express, Starbucks, Corner Bakery and Panera Bread, the Village said, adding that, aside from a drive-thru Starbucks, the village does not have any other drive-thru restaurants.
The meeting is open to the public and takes place at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Wilmette Village Hall.
McDonald's did not immediately respond to NBC Chicago's request for comment.
