Putting brakes on Shiloh’s fast lane growth

Shiloh Planning Commission Board members recently rejected a 24-hour gas station as well as a 328-home subdivision after residents packed the meeting to discuss congestion in the areas off Frank Scott Parkway and Green Mount Road. Whether the Village Board on March 28 follows their recommendation remains to be seen.

It is understandable that residents would object to the development. Drive through that area at most times of the day and you can predict a back-up. It isn’t quite Fairview Heights at Christmas, but it is headed that way. Homeowners had specific complaints about an all-night gas station with lights and noise and litter in an area they thought might see some offices.

However it is unreasonable to expect that there will not be significant growth in that area in the coming years. The area is zoned for and is logically a commercial area. More traffic is coming.

Frank Scott Parkway met a significant east-west traffic need when it opened in 2003. It was almost immediately obsolete. Green Mount Road is in the same category as a north-south corridor.

So the question is, where are the plans to add lanes or manage the congestion being created by the success of these roads? Will Shiloh put the brakes on growth or successfully plan for it?

No one should expect traffic to drop or congestion to ease in the area anytime soon. The village board needs to reject these developments until the infrastructure issues are addressed.

This story was originally published March 21, 2016 at 2:00 PM with the headline "Putting brakes on Shiloh’s fast lane growth."