The Village Board on Thursday discussed whether to extend a license that allows Guildhall restaurant to operate a covered dining structure — commonly called a “streetery” — in the Vernon Avenue right-of-way, but took no final vote. Staff said the current license terminates Sept. 30, 2025, and the board directed additional public outreach and asked staff to return with options and recommendations before that date.

The matter drew several hours of public comment and letters. Village staff told trustees that the village approved pandemic-era outdoor dining measures in November 2020 and later amended Guildhall’s license several times. The second amended agreement, approved in April 2022, authorized a streetery placement; a fourth amended agreement approved in June 2024 included a 5% fee increase and a termination date of Sept. 30, 2025. Under the earlier terms shown to the board, the license covered about 899 square feet of public space on Vernon Avenue at a rate of $0.50 per square foot per month (about $5,394 annually, increased to $5,717 after the 5% increase).

Supporters told the board the streetery has helped Guildhall stay viable, created a family-friendly gathering place and generated hundreds of petition signatures. Opponents, including several adjacent business owners and residents, said the semi-enclosed structure has become effectively permanent, raised safety and sight-line concerns for sidewalk visibility, reduced parking availability (staff noted the structure used roughly four on-street spaces in materials provided to trustees) and did not go through the usual design-review process that would apply to permanent streetscape changes.

Trustees and members of the public repeatedly referenced a village-commissioned streetscape and parking study conducted by Teska Associates and T.Y. Lin; staff told the board that additional outreach tied to that study is under way and that the study is expected to continue through this fall and be completed late in 2025 or early 2026. Multiple speakers urged the board to consider seasonal or limited permits, uniform design standards for downtown structures, and a clearer fee and review schedule if semi‑permanent outdoor structures are allowed.

No formal motion to renew or extend the license was made during the discussion on the record. Instead, trustees asked staff to return with options — including potential seasonal limits, standardized design requirements, and fee alternatives — and to complete further public engagement linked to the streetscape and parking study.

Next steps: staff will continue public outreach and present policy options and findings from the streetscape study to the board; the existing license termination date of Sept. 30, 2025, remains in place pending further board action.