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Council staff moves two beer‑and‑wine license requests to full council amid gaming moratorium debate
Summary
City staff asked the Committee of the Whole to forward two proposed beer‑and‑wine license amendments — Lucky Spin at 1500 Sheridan Road and Mia’s Pancake House & Grill at 2314 Green Bay Road — to the full City Council for final action.
City staff asked the Committee of the Whole to move two proposed amendments to the municipal liquor ordinance to the full City Council for consideration: a request to allow packaged beer‑and‑wine sales at Lucky Spin North Chicago, 1500 Sheridan Road, and a request for a beer‑and‑wine (B‑W) license for Mia’s Pancake House & Grill, 2314 Green Bay Road.
“The issuance of a license would be contingent on the work being completed and meeting all code requirements,” a city staff member said when describing the Lucky Spin proposal. Staff said Lucky Spin currently operates gaming machines in part of the building and seeks to expand into adjacent, currently vacant space to sell convenience items and packaged beer and wine.
Committee members repeatedly raised concerns about the number and concentration of liquor and gaming licenses in North Chicago. Alderman Jackson said the city should consider unused licenses before increasing the total and asked, “Why can't we use those first versus extending?” Alderman Jackson also said, “I have some strong concerns about that,” referring to the overall density of liquor and gaming in the city.
City staff explained the current code structure: when a licensed business closes and its license lapses, that license is no longer active and the municipal code is updated to reflect active counts. Staff noted the council already has a gaming moratorium and that the moratorium applies only to gaming terminals, not to beer‑and‑wine licenses. The moratorium will remain in place while staff analyzes data on gaming density and machine counts; staff expects to present the gaming analysis to council on March 17.
On Mia’s Pancake House & Grill, staff said the restaurant is a sit‑down breakfast/lunch operation seeking a B‑W license to serve beer and wine with meals; staff clarified the request does not include hard liquor and that the business would not be eligible for new gaming terminals while the gaming moratorium remains in effect.
Alderman Coleman, whose ward includes one of the proposed locations, asked to review the Lucky Spin premises and meet with the applicant before council consideration; staff agreed to ensure the applicant contacts the ward alderman. Several members asked that the record note the city’s prior gaming moratorium and that gaming approvals will wait for the moratorium’s data review.
Both items were moved forward to the City Council agenda for a future vote. No council vote on either license occurred during the committee meeting.
Less urgent details: staff said ordinances to add or remove license counts are reflected in the municipal code updates and that the comptroller’s office tracks active licenses and payments.
