Marisco El Catrine Del Mar asked the village on July 21 for three liquor-related licenses to open a restaurant at Clock Tower Plaza, and trustees discussed limits on live entertainment because of the property’s proximity to the Silver Trails residential neighborhood.

Steve, a village staff member, summarized the three requests: a class A (full liquor) license, a supplemental entertainment (SEB) license for live music and DJs, and a supplemental outside (class SO) license to serve food and liquor outdoors. Staff told trustees that the SEB license requires village-board approval in its first year and that the board can add restrictions. The memo attached to the agenda proposed sample restrictions for discussion: Sundays–Thursdays until 9 p.m. for live entertainment, Fridays and Saturdays until 11 p.m., doors and windows closed during live performances, and a graduated penalty schedule (written warning for a first incident, fines for a second, suspension on a third, and possible loss of the class A license for violations during suspension).

Owners’ representative Moses Cruz and owner Oswaldo said they intend to install soundproofing, raise and insulate a dividing wall, and use a decibel meter to monitor noise. Moses Cruz said the owners proposed DJs up to 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays but indicated willingness to reduce volume or accept earlier curfews if problems arise. “They would like to have the DJ up to 1AM on Fridays and Saturdays,” Cruz said. He added that the owners are “all ears” and described the project as an investment they do not want to jeopardize.

Trustees and staff raised enforcement concerns and suggested a staged approach. Trustee Christiansen and others said starting with an 11 p.m. limit for live entertainment with a formal review after a 60-day operating period would allow the restaurant to demonstrate compliance; if the trial period shows no significant complaints, trustees discussed incremental extensions (for example to midnight, then 1 a.m.). Trustee Lowery said an extension path that starts at 11 p.m. was preferable to immediately granting late-night operations because reversing an existing late-night allowance is more difficult. The village’s sound ordinance was cited; staff noted the ordinance’s weekday quiet hours are 9 p.m.

Staff described an intended follow-up: if the Village Board approves licenses with conditions, staff will schedule an agenda update approximately two months after the restaurant opens to report complaints or lack thereof and ask the Board whether to extend entertainment hours. No final licensing vote occurred at the Committee of the Whole meeting; the item is to go to the Village Board for decision.

Why it matters: the restaurant is adjacent to a residential neighborhood that includes senior residents and office/retail spaces; trustees said they want to protect neighbors’ peace while allowing business activity. Owners proposed mitigation measures—insulation, closing doors, fixing makeup-air units and monitoring decibels—that staff and trustees said they would evaluate during the trial period.

Discussion points not decided at the meeting included the precise initial hours for Sunday–Thursday live entertainment, whether to permit one-off holiday exceptions, and the form of any penalty schedule; staff said the penalty language in the memo assumed a year-long license approval and could be revisited.

No formal vote was recorded at the Committee of the Whole; the trustees and staff agreed to forward all three license applications to the Village Board with the proposed conditions and to return to the Board for a review about 60 days after the restaurant begins operations.