DuPage County zoning hearing on Hannah's Wheaton LLC video-gaming cafe draws neighborhood opposition; decision set for July 10

DuPage County Zoning Board of Appeals held a public hearing on a petition from Hannah's Wheaton LLC seeking a conditional use and a variation to open a video-gaming cafe and restaurant in a B-1 local business zone in unincorporated Wheaton.

The petitioner, represented by attorney Luke Hance, described the proposed space as a roughly 2,455-square-foot former dry cleaner in a strip center at the southwest corner of Pleasant Hill Road and Geneva Road and said the cafe would operate about 9 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week, with six video-gaming units. Hance told the board the site would comply with DuPage County parking requirements and proposed a “no left turn” restriction onto Delano to limit traffic into the adjacent residential subdivision.

The issue drew several neighbors and church leaders to the microphone. Scott Howington, pastor of Pleasant Hill Community Church, said the church and another congregation meet in the building the petitioner identified and that the church runs children and youth programs. “Because of the location that involves two congregations and the potential safety concerns in an unincorporated residential neighborhood, I believe the host site is not the best location for this business,” Howington said.

Nearby residents raised safety and quality-of-life concerns, citing children who play and walk in the neighborhood, the lack of sidewalks and streetlights in the unincorporated area, and a perceived risk that impaired drivers or people upset after gambling could drive through the residential streets. John Doyle, a resident immediately south of the shopping center, questioned who the cafe’s customers would be and said he feared a decline in nearby home values. “I’d wager [my house value] goes the other way,” Doyle said. Toby Itano, a long-time resident and former trustee of the church, asked the board to “respect their wishes” and said immediate neighbors had signed a petition opposing the use.

Hance and the petitioner argued the proposal meets the conditional-use standards in the DuPage County zoning ordinance and noted that the proposed cafe would be about 700 feet from Pleasant Hill Community Church, under the county’s 1,000-foot separation standard that requires a variance. Hance emphasized the petitioner’s view that the location and customer profile would not produce the traffic or safety effects opponents described and that similar operators run other cafes in the region.

The hearing officer admitted the petitioner’s exhibits into the record, including the plan of survey, lease addendum, aerials and photographs, and said the board received a letter of objection from the City of Wheaton (filed with staff but not a formal objection under the board’s circulation rules). After public comment, the hearing officer closed the record and said the board will deliberate the case at a meeting scheduled for July 10 at 5:30 p.m.; the board’s recommendation will go to the County Development Committee and then to the full County Board, which will make the final administrative decision.

No final vote or ruling was made at the hearing. The board closed the evidentiary record and will base its decision on the submitted materials and the hearing transcript when it meets to render a recommendation on July 10.