Hansa Coffee Roasters hopes to open in this Lake Bluff location once occupied by The Daily Grind.
LAKE BLUFF — What role do planning board members play in a town’s commercial mix?
This question is on the minds of many people in Lake Bluff as residents and leaders debate whether the village should allow a sit-down coffee shop to open in the downtown shopping district.
Some residents and members of the Plan Commission/Zoning Board of Appeals want the government to play a regulatory role in the commercial mix of Lake Bluff’s central business district, possibly limiting competition. Others think the PCZBA should stick to ensuring that businesses meet zoning requirements, letting the market decide how much coffee is too much.
The debate erupted when the PCZBA considered the application for a special use permit allowing Hansa Coffee Roasters to open in the space once occupied by The Daily Grind butcher shop on Walnut Street.
Hansa has a location in Libertyville where the company both roasts its own beans to sell wholesale as well as retailing cups of coffee and food such as muffins and pastries, according to Rob Douglass, the managing partner of Lake Effect Holdings, which owns the Lake Bluff property. He said the shop Hansa wants to put in Lake Bluff would seat 28. Per village zoning it would be classified as a restaurant.
The PCZBA recommended on February 17 the Village Board of Trustees deny the permit after several members said the planning function of their body charged them with the responsibility of making sure new businesses fit into community.
http://www.lakebluff.org/government/advisory-boards/79-zoning-board-of-appeals
The role of the PCZBA is to “streamline the development process, gain greater organizational efficiencies and maintain the village’s ability to meticulously review and consider important development projects,” according to the village website.
When the request came before the Board of Trustees on February 22 for a final vote, Village President Kathleen O’Hara with the unanimous consent of the trustees directed the PCZBA to reconsider its decision based on the information Douglass presented to the Board of Trustees. The PCZBA next meets at 7 p.m. March 16 at Village Hall.
Initially the PCZBA recommended rejection because of insufficient parking and the effect it would have on the “immediate vicinity and development of neighboring property,” according to a summary of the resolution articulated by Brandon Stanick, the assistant to the village administrator.
But during their February 17 meeting, some PCZBA members said the use of the word planning in the board’s name gave them license to determine how land use impacts neighboring businesses.
“We are the PCZBA and there’s a planning side to what this board does,” said Michael Goldsberry, a PCZBA member. “My concern is what kind of businesses come into downtown and how they all work together. We’ve seen what happens when you get too many businesses that are the same. I don’t know if there’s enough room for all of it.”
PCZBA Chairman Steve Kraus took a more limited view. He said the quality of the business or its effect on competition is not within the commission’s purview. “We’re looking at a fairly narrow decision,” Kraus said. “We’re looking to change the use from a butcher shop to a restaurant. That’s pretty much it. If it’s a crappy place nobody will go there. That’s not our decision. That’s not what we do.”
Mary Collins, another PCZBA member, said the type of business should be taken into consideration.
“I am concerned because when restaurants come in they show us a lot of detail,” Collins said. “We do look at the quality of the petitioner that is coming. We want businesses that serve our community well.”
Several residents who spoke at the PCZBA meeting objected to the idea of a coffee shop opening in the location. One person was John Davis, the owner of Prairie Espresso, which sold Hansa coffee until he learned the company wanted to open a coffee shop a block away, which he said would compete with his business. He said he initially sold Hansa coffee because it was a local company he wanted to support.
“I’ve supported them the last year and a half,” Davis said. “I’ve exclusively used their beans. That’s the moral fiber of Prairie. I find it a little bit crass they’re coming to town. They have had exclusive information on the coffee market here in Lake Bluff and this is why we feel victimized.”
Douglass said during his presentation to the PCZBA that Hansa will have a synergistic effect on other business in town by bringing more people and foot traffic into Lake Bluff’s downtown shopping district. He said the market, not regulation, should determine the commercial mix of the community.
“I’m concerned about where this is tracking,” Douglass said. “Last I knew we live in a free market society. We have two dry cleaners in town, not just one. We have two restaurants in town, not just one. We have two coffee shops here potentially, not just one. If this is what we’re going to start doing, I think we’re opening up a can of worms.”
Commissioners Sam Badger, Leslie Bishop, Elliot Miller and Gary Peters voted to recommend denial while Kraus, Collins and Goldsberry wanted to give a positive conclusion.
When Douglass came before the Board of Trustees February 22, he brought Hansa’s two owners — Kevin Kane and Tom Maegdlin — and a parking study showing the situation would be less congested than it was when Daily Grind operated in the space.
After the presentation by Douglass, members of the audience spoke about the proper commercial lineup in the village. After the public comment period, O’Hara said she wanted the PCZBA to take another look at Hansa’s for special use permit considering the information Douglass shared with the board.
Douglass said he was concerned the PCZBA had already made its decision and was intractable. O’Hara was firm in her position.
“We are the governing body of that group,” O’Hara said. “We will direct them to look at the information and that’s what I want to do.”
Prairie Espresso sold Hansa’s coffee for more than a year but stopped when it learned its supplier might be opening a shop in Lake Bluff.