Lake Zurich could prevent additional smoke and vape shops

Lake Zurich would be essentially closed to additional stand-alone smoke and vape shops if the village board adopts proposed new rules.

The proposal by the village staff calls for any new shops that sell only tobacco and vape products to be at least 1,500 feet from schools, parks and other places children play, and at least 1,000 feet from other smoke and vape shops.

"That pretty much covers the entire community," said Sarosh Saher, Lake Zurich's community development director.

The Lake Zurich planning and zoning commission unanimously approved the new rules at a meeting Wednesday night. Saher said the changes will likely be before the village board on Nov. 18.

Saher and other officials have been working on the rules since January, when the village board voted to place a one-year moratorium on the opening of new smoke and vape shops.

The existing five smoke and vape shops in the village were all established before the moratorium. The rules at the time only required those businesses to be established in the village's business or office district.

Sarosh said under the new rules anyone looking to open a new stand-alone smoke and vape shop would need village board approval. And since there aren't any locations available that would qualify under the new rules, one of the village's current shops would have to close down first.

If the new rules were adopted, the temporary moratorium would end.