Kane County officials put hold on liquor license for former Capone's Hideaway

The reincarnation of the former Al Capone's Hideaway near St. Charles may be more aptly named the Hideawait.

Kane County officials put another 60-day hold on the new owners' liquor license application Thursday to allow further exploration of traffic and safety concerns.

Concerns arose when Jeremy and Nicholas Casiello first announced in 2014 plans to turn the former supper club into a restaurant with a bar and video gambling. The Casiellos may have thought they satisfied all fears about the unincorporated property last September when the county board approved the underlying zoning for the project.

County liquor commissioners revived the fears Thursday. They peppered Jeremy Casiello with questions about the ability of the property to accommodate the traffic he expects.

“We're not going to turn it back into the supper club that some people wanted,” Casiello said in response. “That's just too outdated. It wouldn't support the investment we're putting in.”

That investment entails a $200,000 upgrade of the septic system. The impact of that is a key focus of concerns.

The repairs may eat into the already limited parking space available at the site. Casiello estimated the gravel lot, which he plans to pave and stripe, can accommodate about 30 vehicles. He expects the Hideaway will have a maximum occupancy of about 150 people.

Liquor commission attorney Patrick Kinnally said he has major concerns about parking at the site being further eroded by the septic repairs. He didn't like the idea that patrons might end up parking on the narrow strip of land between Riverside Drive and the Fox River, which runs in front of the Hideaway.

County board member Mark Davoust opposes the project. He believes Riverside Drive is too rural, dark and hilly to accommodate a high-volume business.

The road runs through a residential area that has no other commercial presence.

“The main issue here is location, location, location,” Davoust said. “It's about the ingress and egress. Can you move people into and out of that location and neighborhood safely?”

Davoust is not a member of the liquor commission, nor is the site within his district. He said he was invited to ask questions by county board Chairman Chris Lauzen, who said he had many letters from neighbors expressing significant opposition and concerns.

Casiello said he believes safety is achievable and he is willing to consider whatever signage and lighting the county desires.

He also suggested the placement of a speed bump or two might help ease fears about speeding.

Casiello said he is just as interested in the safety, noise and public health questions commissioners had.

That's because he purchased and moved into a home adjacent to the Hideaway.

“I love it there,” he said. “I plan on staying there a long, long time.”

Liquor Commissioner Myrna Molina noted most of the letters from neighbors opposing the site were dated before the county board approving the zoning for the project.

She and commissioners Joe Haimann and Deb Allan seemed to have fewer concerns than Lauzen, Kinnally and Davoust.

As a group, they tabled Casiello's application for 60 days. That will allow the county to pay for a traffic and parking study for the site that would flesh out the fears from the realities, Kinnally said.

“Right now, all we have is anecdotal evidence of concerns,” Kinnally said.

“We don't have any foundation or basis to say there are going to be traffic problems,” Kinnally said.

The commission will reconvene in March to review the results of the study and make a recommendation on the liquor license to the full county board.