Volo, NW Lake & NE McHenry County News

11/01/2024

WINTER STORM WARNING IN EFFECT FOR LAKE AND MCHENRY COUNTIES FROM 3 AM FRIDAY TO NOON SATURDAY...

HEAVY SNOW, STRONG WESTERLY WINDS, AND DANGEROUS TRAVEL CONDITIONS EXPECTED. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS IN EXCESS OF 8 INCHES AND WIND GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH EXPECTED, WITH THE HIGHEST SNOW ACCUMULATIONS AWAY FROM LAKE MICHIGAN.

IMPACTS...TRAVEL COULD BE VERY DIFFICULT TO IMPOSSIBLE. AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW COULD SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE VISIBILITY. THE HAZARDOUS CONDITIONS COULD IMPACT THE MORNING AND EVENING COMMUTE.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS...SNOW WILL MIX WITH RAIN NEAR LAKE MICHIGAN AND LIMIT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS AFTER MID FRIDAY MORNING. ELSEWHERE, SNOW RATES MAY EXCEED 1 INCH PER HOUR AT TIMES. WIND GUSTS UP TO 45 MPH ARE EXPECTED PRIMARILY FRIDAY EVENING AND MAY LEAD TO AREAS OF BLOWING SNOW AND VERY LOW VISIBILITY.

24/09/2023

LAKEMOOR/WOODMAN’S SITE UPDATE (9/24/23):

1) The Village of Lakemoor Police Department put a social media post out on 9/12/23 stating that it is illegal to drive onto the Woodman’s site to avoid the 12/120 intersection. As a reminder, Lakemoor’s red light camera that has generated millions in revenue for the village and been under media/government policy watchdog scrutiny for many years is installed at that intersection.

2) Construction on the new Cannabis Dispensary between Chipotle and the main gas station on the site is underway.

3) Construction on the Advocate Outpatient Center located next to Woodman’s has been underway for several weeks now and is targeting a Q2 2024 opening.

4) Work on the 3rd Woodman’s gas station located along Route 120 at the far west end of the site across from the intersection of Route 120/Volo Village Rd. is nearing completion.

If you know of any other news/information for the Woodman’s site or Volo Town Center site across Route 12 from Woodman’s, please comment here with the latest information. Thanks!

01/06/2023

LAKEMOOR/WOODMAN’S SITE UPDATE (6/1/23):

1) Ground breaking has begun on the 3rd gas station which is located along Route 120 at the far west end of the site across from the intersection of Route 120/Volo Village Rd.

2) The Advocate Outpatient Center located next to Woodman’s received permit approval a few weeks ago from the Illinois Health Facilities & Services Review Board to build an approximately $29 million facility that will include a newly constructed single story building housing primary care and specialty care clinician offices and non-hospital based outpatient services, including physical therapy, lab, imaging, integrated medicine, and a retail/drive through pharmacy. Planned completion of the facility is currently scheduled for June 2024.

3) Asurion (formerly uBreakiFix) that was located in the multi-tenant building where Wing Stop is located has permanently closed at this location.

4) There is now a proposed multi-tenant building with a drive-thru for the lot between Taco Bell and the primary gas station on the Woodman’s site.

If you know of any other news/information for the Woodman’s site or Volo Town Center site across Route 12 from Woodman’s, please comment with the latest information. Thanks!

10/05/2023

LAKEMOOR/WOODMAN’S SITE UPDATE (5/10/23): Jersey Mike’s is now open for business.

If anyone is aware of additional information on businesses planning to go into the Woodman’s site or across Route 12 at the Volo Town Center site, please comment.

10/03/2023

LAKEMOOR/WOODMAN’S SITE UPDATE (3/9/23): The new Wingstop location is now officially open!

28/01/2023

LAKEMOOR/WOODMAN’S SITE UPDATE (1/28/23): There is a Notice of Public Hearing sign on the open lot between Chipotle and the gas station in front of Woodman’s seeking public input on a proposed Dispensary going in at that location, but am not sure of the date for the hearing (or if it already occurred). If anyone has any further information, please comment.

21/01/2023

VOLO TOWN CENTER SITE (ROUTE 12/ELLIS DRIVE) OVERVIEW: Here’s a video overview of the planned development across Route 12 from the Woodman’s site. While there are not any confirmed retail/restaurant tenant names yet, here’s what we know:

1) The “Redwood Volo” residential phase of project is currently under development on the southeast corner of Gilmer Rd. and Ellis Drive.

2) The retail/commercial phase of this project will include:

- A “big box” retail anchor tenant facing Route 12 on the south side of Ellis Drive (185,000 square feet)

- In Line retail (55,000 square feet) on the north side of Ellis Drive

- Multiple outlets immediately along Route 12 on both sides of Ellis Drive for retail/restaurant tenants

- A hotel is designated for the north end of the site

- An area of “office” space is planned for the northeast corner of Gilmer Rd. and Ellis Drive.

If anyone has additional information on the Volo Town Center site, please comment!

Volo, Illinois, 87.5 acre masterplanned development: Section Route 12 & Route 120Mixed-Use Opportunity:- 225,000 square foot retail- 8 out lots- 155 age-targ...

12/01/2023

LAKEMOOR/WOODMAN’S SITE UPDATE (01/12/23)

1) A Wing Stop restaurant will be going in next to SportClips

2) A 3rd fuel station (self service only) will be be added on the far west end of the site along Route 120 which is across from the Route 120/Volo Village Rd. intersection

3) The 1.24 acre lot between Taco Bell and the primary fuel station (highlighted in blue) is now under contract for a yet to be announced business

4) There are still multiple other lots on the site (highlighted in yellow) which are available/not under contract at this time.

If anyone has additional updates on the site, please leave a comment!

19/12/2022

***A WINTER STORM WATCH FOR HEAVY SNOW AND BLIZZARD CONDITIONS WITH THE POTENTIAL FOR IMPOSSIBLE TRAVEL CONDITIONS AND SIGNIFICANT POWER OUTAGES, ALONG WITH WIND CHILL VALUES AS LOW AS -25 HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR LAKE, MCHENRY, WALWORTH, AND KENOSHA COUNTIES FROM THURSDAY THROUGH LATE FRIDAY NIGHT. A BLIZZARD WARNING MAY BE NEEDED FOR THE AREA IN THE COMING DAYS***

IMPACTS: FALLING AND BLOWING SNOW WITH WINDS GUSTING AS HIGH AS 55+ MPH MAY RESULT IN WHITE OUT CONDITIONS WITH ZERO VISIBILITY AT TIMES, MAKING TRAVEL EXTREMELY DIFFICULT, IF NOT IMPOSSIBLE. POWER OUTAGES WILL ALSO BE POSSIBLE AS A RESULT OF STRONG DAMAGING WIND GUSTS TO 55 MPH.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS: BITTERLY COLD WIND CHILLS AS LOW AS 25 BELOW ZERO ARE LIKELY DURING THE HEIGHT OF THE STORM. WIND CHILLS OF THIS MAGNITUDE CAN CAUSE FROSTBITE ON EXPOSED SKIN IN AS LITTLE AS 30 MINUTES.

19/11/2022

LAKEMOOR RED LIGHT CAMERAS ARE BACK (ROUTE 12/120): As of this week, the Village of Lakemoor has reinstalled the red light cameras at Route 12/120 after being removed a few years ago during construction/improvements at the intersection in anticipation of the new shopping center.

The red light cameras were a significant source of controversy after they were installed many years ago. The village was highlighted by media, included in a 2019 research report by an Illinois taxpayer watchdog (link below), and a source of frustration for many area residents.

According to the Illinois taxpayer watchdog (Illinois Policy Institute) research report from 2019, the Village of Lakemoor collected over $19 million in red light camera violation fees from the cameras at Route 12/120 since 2012, while being promoted as a way to increase roadway safety. At the time, the report noted the Village of Lakemoor was near the top of the list in the State of Illinois for violation fees collected from red light cameras outside the City of Chicago.

According to the 2019 watchdog report, Illinois drivers had shelled out more than $1 billion in red-light camera violation fees from 2009-2019 and noted that as Illinois taxpayers had paid more and more for red-light camera programs, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety at the time had reported a 35% decline in the number of communities operating red-light cameras nationwide since 2012.

From a safety perspective, according to the Illinois Policy Institute report, red light cameras in Illinois were doing little to improve safety and noted the following research/studies on the topic:

1) A 2017 Tribune report found over half of the intersections where red light cameras were approved by IDOT were among the safest in the state, according to the department’s own study.

2) A 2018 study from Case Western Reserve University found red-light cameras likely do not increase traffic safety. Researchers looked at traffic accident data from Houston, which operated its red-light camera program from 2006 to 2010, and found that while T-bone collisions did indeed decrease during that time, non-angle collisions, such as rear-end crashes, actually increased. Moreover, rather than reducing traffic accidents, the study found that red-light enforcement cameras may have increased accidents overall.

3) A similar study by the Tribune in 2014 found the same results: rear-end crashes were up 22%. In some cases, the number of crashes at an intersection increased after the camera was installed. Many cameras in Chicago were also placed at intersections that already had relatively few accidents.

Red-light cameras in Chicago suburbs spread rapidly, despite decline across rest of country

14/11/2022

A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY FOR SNOW HAS BEEN ISSUED FOR LAKE AND MCHENRY COUNTIES IN EFFECT FROM 6AM TUESDAY TO 6 AM WEDNESDAY...

SUMMARY: SNOW WITH SLUSHY ACCUMULATIONS ON ROADWAYS EXPECTED. TOTAL SNOW ACCUMULATIONS OF 2 TO 5 INCHES WITH LOCALLY HIGHER AMOUNTS EXPECTED. LITTLE TO NO SNOW WILL ACCUMULATE ALONG THE IMMEDIATE LAKE MICHIGAN SHORELINE.

IMPACTS: PLAN ON SLIPPERY ROAD CONDITIONS INCLUDING DURING THE TUESDAY MORNING AND EVENING COMMUTES.

04/08/2022

YEAR ROUND SKI HILL PROPOSAL FOR SOUTHWEST CORNER OF ROUTE 120 & FAIRFIELD RD: A request to annex 94 acres to Round Lake with plans to build a year-round ski hill and commercial lot for future development is being met by some with skepticism and concern, as the site would be built with fill dirt material in 3 phases over 12 years, which according to some opponents of the project would require approximately 150 truckloads of fill to be delivered to the site more than 5 days per week for years, reported the Daily Herald (link below).

Among the concerns raised by people who addressed the village board/committee were increased traffic, wear and tear on roads, dust, pollution, noise, and potential contamination or depletion of the aquifer. Oversight of material being dumped and recourse for the village if contamination is found or the project isn't built as proposed were other issues raised.

The operation would allow for downhill skiing, snowboarding and tubing with five runs and a roughly 175-foot vertical drop. The proposal is to use a synthetic snow substitute called Snowflex for what would be the first facility of its kind in the Midwest.

The proposal also envisions a 10,300-square-foot ski lodge building with 6,000 square feet designated as a full-service restaurant. The ski hill would draw 45,000 patrons annually and boost development in the area, per the proposal.

On June 28, the advisory planning and zoning commission by a 3-2 vote recommended approval of the annexation, zoning, preliminary planned unit development and plat of subdivision.

Round Lake is considering a proposal to annex 94 acres and create over several years a ski hill and lodge south and west of Fairfield Road and Route 120.

09/06/2022

LAKEMOOR COMMONS (WOODMAN’S) SITE UPDATE (6/9/22): There is an updated view of the site to now include future businesses “Heartland Dental” in the space next to Starbucks and newly added Taco Bell that will be on the corner lot where the Route 120 stop light to enter the shopping area is located.