Forest Park's Planning and Zoning Commission voted 4-1 on Oct. 19 to approve a conditional-use request from Andy's Frozen Custard, clearing a major hurdle for a drive-thru business that would consolidate plots around McGaffer's Saloon and replace the bar's building at 7737 Roosevelt Road. The vote sends the project to the village council for a final decision, with no construction, demolition or opening date yet set.
As reported by the Forest Park Review, the approved plan calls for a two-lane drive-thru and walk-up windows, with 17 queue spaces for cars and 27 parking spots on a site just over half an acre. Commissioners attached several conditions before sending the matter forward, including an eight-foot fence along the property's north side, a monument sign in place of a proposed 25-foot ice cream cone, no planters at the lot's southwest corner, and additional photometric and acoustic studies to gauge light and noise impacts on neighbors.
Traffic Flow and Access Points Draw Scrutiny
Andy's has completed a traffic impact study and plans access points on both Roosevelt Road and Troost Avenue, according to the same report. The segment of Troost nearest the property would be converted from one-way to two-way traffic, a change Forest Park has already taken steps toward, per public works director Steve Glinke. Cars exiting the custard shop would be required to turn right onto Troost, while the curb cut closest to Troost would remain open and allow drivers to turn either left or right onto Roosevelt.
The property currently has three curb cuts along Roosevelt Road, and it sits near a 7-Eleven curb cut that the Forest Park Review notes already makes gas-station access difficult for drivers. Glinke said the final circulation plan would route traffic east to west to south through the site. Trash trucks would access receptacles once or twice a week, while food deliveries are expected twice weekly in the morning, with delivery trucks parking near the back or south end of the store for about 45 minutes at a time.
Union Representatives Raise Construction Safety Concerns
Public comment at the meeting turned contentious when Nick Medina, a business agent at Laborers Local 1, shared photos of an Andy's construction site on Milwaukee Avenue in Chicago. The photos showed the site fenced with construction fencing on three sides and a wooden fence on the fourth, with a missing slat large enough for someone to climb through, positioned next to a “children playing” sign. Andy's representatives told commissioners the wooden fence would be replaced toward the end of the project.
Commission member Paul Price, who works for the Laborers' International Union of North America's Great Lakes Regional Organizing Committee, cast the lone dissenting vote, saying the construction-site photos concerned him. Jeremy Esparza, another business agent for Laborers Local 1, asked during public comment who Andy's subcontractors would be. Commission chairperson Marsha East responded that the zoning board is a recommending body and that contractor questions should instead go to the village council.
Neighbors Weigh Noise, Light and Fencing
A resident living north of the proposed site raised concerns about noise and light spilling onto nearby homes, prompting several of the commission's conditions. Andy's representative Travis King said the company could look into limiting patio music during late operating hours and into making the required north-side fence taller than six feet, adding that Andy's was open to a larger fence if necessary. The solid fence is meant to serve as a sound shield for residences to the north, and the company plans additional landscaping to provide screening around the property.
King also noted that Andy's drive-thru relies on face-to-face ordering at the window or with runners rather than speakers, while the proposed patio, which faces Roosevelt Road away from the northern homes, would have only a few speakers of its own. Proposed signage includes a lighted building fascia and a sign at the southeast corner facing east and west; the 25-foot ice cream cone option was scrapped after commissioners said it didn't align with the village's comprehensive plan. Glinke said the village preferred a monument sign at the corner instead, and dust-control mesh would be addressed later during the permit process.
Economic Pitch and Next Steps
Glinke told the commission the project would be an economic gain for the village, and King said Andy's plans to join the Forest Park Chamber of Commerce, participate in local events, create jobs and support local businesses and tax revenue. King added that Andy's supports police, fire, first responders, medical staff, libraries, park districts and schools. The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District will require a temporary construction fence around the property once work begins, since the site exceeds half an acre.
The Forest Park village council is expected to vote on the proposal, likely at a meeting next month, according to the Forest Park Review's report. Under the village's municipal code, the council must act within 45 days of receiving the commission's written recommendation, and a conditional use would expire if construction isn't underway within 180 days of the ordinance taking effect or if the project isn't completed within 12 months of permit issuance.
A Fast-Growing Chain Eyeing the Chicago Suburbs
Andy's Frozen Custard, which offers walk-up or drive-thru service rather than traditional dine-in seating, has grown to 136 units across 15 states, with about 75 of those stores franchise-owned, according to Restaurant Business Online. Drive-thru and walk-up windows account for roughly 67% and 33% of the company's business, respectively, per figures King shared with the commission. The chain saw sales climb 17% and its unit count rise 11% in 2020 compared with the year before, and CEO Andy Kuntz has said the company aims for controlled growth, once targeting about 25 new store openings.
If the Forest Park location is ultimately approved, it would mirror hours at other Andy's locations: 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday, until 11:30 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, with hours extended by 30 minutes between Memorial Day and Labor Day. The expansion push isn't limited to Forest Park — Andy's has also broken ground on a 1,960-square-foot location at Washington and Ogden in Downers Grove, according to Patch, on a site once occupied by engineering offices and expected to rank among the company's top five or 10 locations out of more than 300 stores nationwide.
