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Council approves special-use permit and parking variance for Honeybird restaurant at 427 E. State St.
Summary
The City Council approved a zoning variation and special-use permit to allow a takeout/dine-in restaurant called "Honeybird" at 427 East State Street, including a reduced street-yard parking setback and relief from interior parking-lot landscaping requirements.
The Geneva City Council approved two land-use ordinances on April 21 to allow a new restaurant, Honeybird, to occupy 427 East State Street. The applicant, local restaurateurs Nick and Jimmy Nicolau of Reganados, proposed converting a one-story vacant commercial building into a takeout/dine-in roast-chicken concept.
Why it matters: The approvals remove zoning and landscaping barriers to reusing a long-vacant building in the B-3E business district and add six on-site parking spaces to a narrow 60-foot-wide lot. The Planning & Zoning Commission had unanimously recommended the council approve the requested variations, special-use permit and landscaping relief.
What council approved: Ordinance 2025-12 grants a variation reducing the Woodlawn Street street-yard parking setback from 30 feet to 11.1 feet to enable an expanded on-site parking area and a 24-foot two-way drive aisle. Ordinance 2025-13 grants the special-use permit for a restaurant use and waives a portion of the interior parking-lot landscaping requirements.
Applicant presentation and details: The applicants told the council the concept will be a smaller, roast-broasted (pressure-fried) chicken operation with takeout and limited dine-in seating, different from their existing Reganados operation. They said the venture requires specialized equipment and the planned parking layout is intended to keep cars off the adjacent streets. Staff noted the expanded parking will create six on-site spaces, space for a dumpster enclosure, and a drive aisle necessary for operations.
Votes and process: Both ordinances were approved unanimously, 10-0. The council recorded that the requested alterations were consistent with staff recommendations and the Planning & Zoning Commission's unanimous recommendation.
Next steps: Applicants may proceed with building permits and required inspections; staff and the applicant will coordinate final site and stormwater details under the approved variation and special-use permit.
