Why former Al Capone hideout is newly unpopular with neighbors
When Al Capone used a property just outside of St. Charles in the 1920s as a hideaway, neighbors probably didn't like it. But they probably didn't complain too loudly, either. That wasn't the case Tuesday when residents near the property protested the transformation of the hideaway-turned-steakhouse into a sports bar with possible video gambling.
The location, at 35W337 Riverside Drive in unincorporated St. Charles, is surrounded by homes and a stretch of the Fox River just across from its parking lot. The property began as part of a summer resort. It became a supper club restaurant in 1973 but closed in 2012.
Jeremy and Nicholas Casiello want to transform the property into a sports bar/restaurant and eventually offer video gambling. They first need to get zoning on the property changed to allow their rehab project to move forward. The brothers own three other suburban taverns: The Dam Bar and Grill in Geneva and two Alley 64s, in Palatine and St. Charles.
About half a dozen neighbors showed up at the Kane County Board's development committee Tuesday to protest the project. Chief among their concerns were hours of operation, noise, traffic and a sense that a bustling business doesn't fit in with an otherwise peaceful, riverfront subdivision. The business would operate from 11 a.m. to midnight Sunday to Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 1 a.m. Friday and Saturday.
"We've lived in this community for 37 years and have seen it continue to develop into a very desirable residential community," neighbor Gene Hemmann said. "This proposal represents spot zoning at its worst. The closest businesses are now located more than one mile away on Route 25."
Dale Seidel said the former restaurant was, at best, a place people went on special occasions. None of the area residents want to go to an out-of-the-way sports bar.
"(The owners) say that if we don't accede to their needs they'll take their ball and bat and go away," Seidel said. "Well, OK. We in the neighborhood won't fail to survive."
Committee members, responding to the residents, succeeded in getting Jeremy Casiello to agree to a ban on any outdoor music or speaker amplification. With that in hand, the one lingering doubt by officials related to the ability of the septic system to accommodate the customer volume Casiello expects. That investigation is still ongoing. The system must pass a county health inspection before the restaurant can open.
Assuming that happens, the project received the committee's blessing. Casiello is expected to return at a later date to apply for a liquor license and video gambling permit.
"It's a neat location," county board member Drew Frasz said. "I would like to see it come back to life. At the same time, the petitioner has to be aware that every single day you're out there that you have neighbors. It's up to you to keep those neighbors happy."