Committee delays vote on proposed Rockford McDonald’s that faced pushback from neighbors

By Kevin Haas
Rock River Current
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ROCKFORD — A City Council committee has delayed a vote on a proposed McDonald’s along Perryville Road over concerns about the layout of dumpsters on the property.

The dual-lane drive-thru restaurant has been proposed for vacant land at 1869 N. Perryville Road, which is at the northeast corner of Perryville and Rote roads across from Rockford Community Bank. Last week, several residents from the Red Oaks subdivision south of the property pushed back against the plan, saying it would be noisy, cause congestion and lower property values.

On Monday, the City Council’s Code and Regulation Committee was focused on a different aspect: the location of dumpsters at the southwest corner of the plot at Rote and Perryville roads.

“If folks are traveling on Perryville it would be nice if they’re stopped there that they’re not looking at the backside, which they are, the backside of a McDonald’s,” Alderman Kevin Frost said during the meeting. “If those (dumpsters) could be moved further to the east, more near the exit.”

No matter where the dumpsters are located, they will be required to be enclosed so that they’re not visible.

“We had discussions with McDonald’s about having it in a different location and they couldn’t do it on the north side because it was going to interfere with their double drive-thru lane and the bypass lane,” said Scott Capovilla, the city’s planning and zoning manager. The site chosen was considered the best alternative.

Alderman Tamir Bell moved for the vote to be delayed so that city planning staff could work with the developer on another potential location for the dumpsters. That vote passed 4-1, meaning the matter will be laid over until the next meeting Dec. 8.

This article is by Kevin Haas. Email him at khaas@rockrivercurrent.com or follow him on X at @KevinMHaas or Instagram @thekevinhaas and Threads @thekevinhaas