Wheaton approves plans for downtown salon

Wheaton officials have reached an agreement with buyers of a city-owned building downtown who plan to open a salon there in August.

The city council unanimously approved a $200,000 contract Tuesday for the sale of the vacant property at 109 N. Main St. The city bought the building in 2006 through condemnation proceedings for $300,000.

Buyers Roy and Karen Millonzi of Glen Ellyn said they were initially concerned they would need to push back their construction timeline during a back-and-forth debate at a Nov. 7 city council meeting when the zoning was first discussed.

“We were worried, but it turned out to be the right decision,” Roy Millonzi said. “How long is that area going to stay undeveloped? They need a spark to get the downtown central business district going.”

During the Nov. 7 meeting, the Millonzis heard council members consider three motions. Two of the options would allow the salon despite a 1998 ordinance that prohibits such uses in the city’s C-2 zoning district and against the recommendation of the city’s planning and zoning board.

That discussion sparked a debate about the diversity of businesses downtown — Zazu Hair Salon and Day Spa sits at 133 N. Main St. — and government’s role in encouraging competition.

First, council members denied a change to the zoning codes to allow the salon. Then, the council rejected a special-use permit that would have set up another appointment with the planning and zoning board for the Millonzis.

Under a procedural move, Wheaton Mayor Michael Gresk reintroduced the failed motion to amend the codes. That final motion passed unanimously.

Councilman Todd Scalzo proposed the special-use permit because he said it would preserve the intent of the 1998 ordinance, the result of a push to make the downtown more competitive with shopping centers instead of the “hair salon capitol of DuPage County.”

Still, Scalzo argued the benefits of a new storefront on Main Street and foot traffic outweighed his previous concerns.

“We’re in such a down economy that there are just a lot of vacancies and we’re happy to get whatever we can get,” Scalzo said.

Councilwoman Jeanne Ives applauded the agreement.

“We should not be the arbitrators of who is allowed to open business up there or not in terms of styling salons,” said Ives. “The market will determine who is successful. It’s certainly not for us to judge that.”

Millonzi said he plans for crews to start demolishing the interior of the building next month. Construction will preserve the exterior shell.

When asked about the number of salons downtown, Millonzi touted the retail component and Aveda products that will be available at his salon.

“It’s a shopping destination first,” he said.