Plan commission recommends approval of smoking establishment, outdoor seating, and signage variance at 1210 S. Findlay

The Village of Lombard Plan Commission on Feb. 17 recommended approval of PC 25-05, a petition to renovate 1210 South Findlay Road into a regulated smoking establishment (to operate as an over-21 hookah/lounge type establishment), to allow outdoor seating, to recognize historic shared parking, and to permit a signage variance for two marquee-style signs with a combined area not to exceed 100 square feet. The commission voted to forward the recommendation to the Village Board of Trustees for final action on March 6, 2025.

Petitioner attorney Mark Daniel said the standalone building would be renovated with interior and modest exterior changes, including up to four garage doors opening to a fenced patio along the west side of the building. He described an interior layout with a single controlled entrance where staff will check IDs, and a fenced outdoor patio area separated from adjacent lot lines. Daniel said the petitioner does not intend to seek Village permission for on-site cannabis consumption and does not plan to operate an on-site kitchen that would require a local restaurant license; prepackaged or off-site-prepared food could be consumed on premises.

Staff and the IDRC reviewed the application and found it consistent with conditional-use standards for a B4A district. Staff noted the lot configuration and historic lot-line placement created the signage variance request: strict code interpretation would permit about 73 square feet of wall signage, but the petitioner asked for 100 square feet because of the lot-line alignment relative to Findlay Road. The staff report recommended approval with conditions; the memo from KLOA (traffic consultant) and health-department contacts were noted in the record.

Commissioners questioned operational details including hours and the outdoor patio. Daniel indicated typical hours might be roughly 10 a.m. to midnight or 2 a.m., and said lighting under the canopy would be dimmed after hours; he also explained the petitioner preferred to discourage indoor cigarette smoking and focus on hookah-style service, though the final indoor/outdoor cigarette use policy could be refined with conditions. Staff said state law requires the business be in a standalone building and that 80% of sales must relate to tobacco products for state classification of a smoking establishment.

Public comment was not reported at the hearing. Commissioners discussed odor and ventilation concerns; the petitioner said mechanical ventilation would be designed to meet state requirements and that a 30-foot setback from lot lines for outdoor smoking activity was proposed to mitigate impacts. The petitioner also said the nearest daycare is well beyond the required separation distance and that the daycare owner had been notified and did not object at the neighborhood meeting.

Commissioner Versen moved, and Commissioner Sweetser seconded, that the Plan Commission accept the IDRC findings and recommend Village Board approval of PC 25-05 subject to the five conditions in the staff report. Roll call votes were Versen—Aye; Sweetser—Aye; Johnston—Aye; Chair Giuliano—Aye. The recommendation will be forwarded to the Village Board for final action on March 6, 2025.

What happens next: The petition will be considered by the Village Board of Trustees on March 6, 2025; any conditions in the staff report must be satisfied as part of final permitting and licensing. Mechanical ventilation, age-restricted access procedures, and the final outdoor smoking footprint were the items commissioners and staff flagged for implementation detail if the Board approves the petition.