Route 6 And Hollywood Boulevard: What Should Go Here?

JOLIET, IL — A commercial property of roughly 3 acres is for sale at the corner of Route 6 and Houbolt Road. Gene Briscoe of Coldwell Banker Commercial Real Estate Group in Shorewood is seeking $1.2 million for the land near the busy traffic light.

"This property is ideally located for a retail business that services the trucking industry," the listing on LoopNet states.

The land is zoned B-3 for a possible truck service business, the real estate listing noted.

The land is directly across the street from the future Houbolt Road Truck Bridge that has just started construction. The Houbolt Road Bridge project has been in the works for five years, and finally it's happening.

In 2019, a few miles away, there was a controversial city of Joliet proposal to tear down the Universalist Unitarian Church of Joliet, near the busy intersection of West Jefferson Street and Houbolt Road. The redevelopment project called for building a Speedway gas station and convenience store that would also welcome semi-trucks.

Several Joliet residents who lived in the area were outraged, and they said that was a terrible location for a gas station and truck stop.

In the end, Joliet did not support that project, and it never happened.

At the time, some opponents to the Unitarian Church redevelopment suggested that putting the gas station and truck stop closer to Route 6 and Houbolt Road was a much better alternative.

What do you think?

Should the 3-acre lot available for $1.2 million be developed for a gas station and perhaps a truck stop? If not, what do you think should go here?

Post your comments on the Joliet Patch Facebook page or at the thread at the bottom of this article.