Palatine council says no to liquor store
Palatine officials figure six liquor stores within a half-mile radius is quite ample.
With that, the council Monday unanimously voted against a special use that would have allowed Las Adas Liquor to relocate five blocks south to a vacant storefront at 1611 N. Rand Road, near Capri Drive.
“We think there’s an overconcentration if you start adding more packaged liquor stores in this area,” Village Manager Reid Ottesen said.
The council made clear that liquor stores, pawn shops and tattoo studios — pointing to proposals for the same area that were shot down earlier this year — are not the vision officials have for the Rand/Dundee corridor.
Las Adas Liquor owner Carlos Nava approached the village about relocating because he said he’s only being offered a one-year lease that the building’s landlord could break anytime. He also said many of his clients live closer to the vacant storefront, and submitted a petition with 145 signatures of support for his move.
However, he acknowledged his business is performing well at its current location, something officials said made them less likely to seriously consider the proposal.
In addition to the saturated market, the police department stated its concern for existing traffic, pedestrians and alcohol-related violations in the immediate area.
In the five blocks between Nava’s current and proposed stores, there have been 33 DUI arrests and four crashes involving pedestrians over the last three years. While none were attributed to Las Adas Liquor, authorities said yet another liquor store might exacerbate the situation.
In speaking against the relocation, Councilman Greg Solberg cited several letters of objection written by nearby residents who don’t like the idea of liquor store located at their subdivision entryway.
Solberg also pointed to Teddy’s Liquors, which is located just 600 feet north of the vacant storefront.
“That’s just a long Mickey Mantle home run away,” Solberg said. “So it’s not like (patrons) need it for the convenience.”