East Dundee planning commission backs definition of 'gaming cafe' and recommends special‑use allowance east of Van Buren

The Planning & Zoning and Historic Commission of East Dundee unanimously recommended Feb. 5 that the village board add a definition for “gaming cafe” to Chapter 157 of the zoning code and allow those businesses as a special use in B‑2 and B‑3 business districts east of Van Buren.

Franco, village planning staff, told the commission the proposal stems from trustee direction to clarify how video‑gaming operations should be treated in the zoning code. Franco said East Dundee currently has 21 establishments with 114 video gaming terminals and that the village receives roughly $30,000 a month in gaming tax distributions, figures staff presented as context for the discussion.

“During the village board meetings, there was some desire to see video gaming cafes brought into the zoning code,” Franco said in his overview, adding that putting a definition in Chapter 157 would allow the commission and board to treat gaming cafes as special uses and keep the downtown B‑1 district free of such operations.

Commission member John circulated a consolidated draft definition as a conversation starter and read it aloud to the commission. The draft described a gaming cafe as an establishment whose primary focus is video gaming and for which food or alcohol sales are incidental. The commission debated objective tests (countable criteria) versus discretionary language and settled on a short checklist intended to let staff and the board categorize applicants consistently.

The criteria the commission endorsed are: (1) visible acknowledgment of video gaming in storefront signage or marketing, (2) a customer‑seats‑per‑terminal ratio of four or fewer non‑terminal seats per video gaming terminal (excluding seats at the terminals themselves), and (3) the absence of a commercial kitchen. The draft also retains a catchall giving the village board discretion to consider additional factors.

Commissioners discussed practical enforcement questions — for example, how the six‑month operating requirement in Chapter 123 (the village’s video‑gaming chapter) would apply to a business whose proposed primary revenue source is terminals. Franco advised that some enforcement or renewal language would be handled after the definition, and that Chapter 123 contains existing renewal and violation procedures that could trigger adjudication or license revocation if conditions are not met.

After the discussion the commission moved and seconded a recommendation that the village board adopt the definition language as drafted; the motion passed unanimously.

In a second public hearing the commission considered a related text amendment to permit gaming cafes as a special use in B‑2 and B‑3 business districts. Franco said trustees had signaled they preferred not to allow gaming cafes in B‑1 (downtown) and recommended B‑2/B‑3 as the appropriate corridors. Commissioners debated additional geographic guidance and ultimately amended the motion to recommend allowing gaming cafes as a special use only in B‑2 and B‑3 districts east of Van Buren to preserve the downtown character.

That motion also passed unanimously, and the commission will forward both recommendations to the village board for its consideration.

The commission concluded the meeting without further business and adjourned. The items will next appear on the village board docket; staff and trustees will determine ordinance language, any licensing or renewal procedures and whether to add enforcement provisions tied to revenue or operating characteristics.