Liquor license requested for proposed restaurant in MP

By Bob Balgemann

REPORTER

The Machesney Park village’s liquor control commission has recommend issuing a Class R license to Happy Wok restaurant, which is being proposed for a building at 6901 N. Second St.

Action came at the commission’s June 20 meeting.

If approved by the village board in two upcoming readings, the license will allow consumption of alcoholic beverages only on the premises.

One requirement is that food constitute at least 50 percent of all sales. In this case the applicant stated that 95 percent of the sales are anticipated to be food, with only 5 percent alcohol.

The next stop for the request will be the board meeting on Tuesday. That is one day later than usual because of the 4th of July holiday being on the regular meeting date.

Proposed hours at the restaurant are 10 a.m. to midnight Monday through Saturday and 11 a.m. to midnight on Sunday.

The property, zoned commercial neighborhood district, is vacant and located at the northeast corner of North Second Street and Wood Avenue.

Village officials previously approved the site plan, which showed a new, two-tenant building. Happy Wok would occupy 1,870 square feet of the building, with the other tenant proposed to be a laundromat.

Surrounding zoning and land uses are commercial community, a barber shop, to the north; commercial community, a vacant commercial building, on the south; single family residential, a fire station, to the east; and single family residential, a church, on the west.

Carrie Houston, the village’s planning and zoning coordinator, said the use is in compliance with the Machesney Park 2010 Comprehensive Plan. The plan calls for neighborhood commercial service and retail uses for the property in question.

She said staff has found that as long as all applicable zoning, building, health and fire codes are met, the request for an R liquor license “would substantially comply with all ordinances of the village …”

Given that, staff recommended approval of the request.

Also June 20, during the village board portion of the evening, trustees approved an internalgovernmental agreement with the Winnebago County Circuit Clerk regarding electronic citation program fees.

The agreement supports creation of an electronic citation program, through the Clerk of Courts Act. That would allow traffic, misdemeanor, municipal ordinance, conservation and other citations and law enforcement date to be transmitted electronically to the clerk’s office.

In addition, the clerk would be authorized to charge a $5 fee to the defendant to defray the cost of establishing and maintaining electronic citations.

Village Administrator Tim Savage said such a program would expedite the filing process and give sheriff’s deputies more time to patrol the village.