Wheaton rejects cat lounge along Roosevelt Road

Wheaton City Council members have rejected a proposal to create a cat lounge in a vacant strip mall space off Roosevelt Road.

Unlike cat cafes such as the Cat House in Roselle, the proposed lounge would not have had cats available for adoption. The lounge was also not meant to function as a shelter, boarding business or rescue. Rather, its stated purpose was to “promote emotional wellness, provide therapeutic enrichment, and foster positive human-animal interactions” with up to 10 resident cats.

The tenant space was previously occupied by a chiropractor and next to a Subway restaurant.

Wheaton’s planning and zoning board recommended approval of an amendment to the city zoning ordinance to define a “Domestic Animal Lounge” and to add it as a special use in the corresponding Roosevelt Road zoning sector.

The proposed amendment defined such a lounge as a not-for-profit establishment that is not a cat adoption agency or a kennel, “where people can interact with domestic animals with or without the purchase of food and/or beverages.”

“The lounge can feature a variety of domestic animals, allowing visitors to socialize with them in a relaxed, cafe-like setting,” it continued. “Patrons often pay a fee, usually hourly, to spend time with the animals.”

However, city council members rejected the request this week.

Before voting “no,” some members referred to a lengthy process to adopt a Roosevelt Road Corridor Plan and to implement it into the city's zoning ordinance.

“It would be disingenuous of us to provide a text amendment for something like this in light of the broader plan that we spent a tremendous amount of city time, energy and resources on,” Councilman Scott Brown said.

The effort was started in response to the obsolescence of many of the buildings along Roosevelt, and the “importance of enhancing Wheaton’s property and sales tax base by encouraging appropriate types of development and revitalization activities that can aid in the long-term viability” of the corridor, consultants wrote in the plan.

Councilwoman Erica Bray-Parker was the lone “yes” vote, though she noted the “unique nature of this.”

Mayor Phil Suess said officials “went through a lot of work defining the uses and the permitted uses along Roosevelt Road.”

“I don’t think we’re at a point where we want to amend or grant exceptions to what we recently approved with respect to the Roosevelt Road zoning,” he said.