‘Tall mugs of beer’: Fatpour Tap Works wooing Mount Prospect

Downtown Mount Prospect could soon welcome a new player on its tavern scene south of the Metra station — with a novel twist.

The village's planning and zoning commission Thursday gave a positive recommendation, paving the way for the village board to grant a conditional use to Fatpour Tap Works. The one-story 7,000-square-foot, full-service restaurant would offer outdoor dining and an unusual recreational component, a curling lane.

The Mount Prospect location at 200 S. Main St. would be the fourth Fatpour location. There are two Chicago locations, one in Wicker Park and another near McCormick Place, and a third in Lincolnwood.

Arthur Holmer, representing the petitioner, 200 S. Main St. LLC, told commissioners the name refers to “tall mugs of beer.”

“We believe we’re bringing a different product to the area,” he said. “We think of ourselves as a polished, casual American-fare sports bar, but you can go in with a suit or a baseball hat and feel just as comfortable.”

The proposed site was reduced to an asphalt parking area and a concrete slab in 2017. Annexed into the village in 1917, it contained a Pure Oil gas station from the mid-1950’s through the 1977, after which it was converted to an office building.

The petitioner is asking for zoning changes to the setback and parking requirements.

Questions about parking came up during the meeting. Downtown parking remains a challenge for the village.

The project requires zoning relief for parking — 11 parking spaces are required, but only eight on-site spaces would be provided. However, village Community Development Director Jason Shallcross said the development would rely on public parking in the surrounding area, including nearly 50 parking stalls in the nearby Wille Street lot, about another 50 on Evergreen Avenue and about 150 stalls on Prospect Avenue.

At least 30 spots are also available as a result of the village’s purchase of property from St. Mark Lutheran Church, he said.

Neighbor Charles Chen raised several issues, among them traffic safety risks at Main Street and Evergreen Avenue.

“People are coming down Main Street to Evergreen (and making) a sharp right into that corner. It's probably not safe for your business there,” he said.

Another neighbor, Nate Devan, questioned the need for another bar and grill in an area that already has several.

The only opposition vote on the commission came from Fay Costa, who raised concerns stemming from stormwater detention issues on the site.

The village board will likely decide Jan. 20.