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Resident urges West Chicago to allow tattoo parlors downtown and consider cannabis sales
Summary
At the Aug. 4 council meeting, Steve Riani spoke during public comment for a resident petition to permit tattoo parlors in the downtown zoning district and urged the council to add discussion of opening West Chicago to recreational and medical cannabis at an upcoming sales‑tax forum.
Steve Riani, speaking for resident Matt Waldo, urged the West Chicago City Council to consider changing the downtown ordinance to allow tattoo parlors and to open the city to recreational and medical cannabis sales.
"Matt has been circulating a petition online to try to get an ordinance changed or repealed to allow tattoo parlors in the downtown district," Riani said, describing the business as a "Cultural Art Studio" and saying it could attract more visitors who would also patronize other downtown shops.
Riani also asked the council to include discussion of cannabis in an upcoming sales‑tax public forum. "I would ask that the council also look into opening up West Chicago to cannabis, recreational, medical," he said, arguing that "the tax benefit that you get from a single dispensary would completely wipe out the tax shortfall that we're going to be receiving." He suggested regulating over‑the‑counter Delta‑9 THC products sold at smoke shops to reduce youth access.
The remarks were made during the public‑comment portion of the meeting; Riani said he hoped resident Matt Waldo could attend the next meeting to present more details. The council did not act on the petition or take immediate steps to add a cannabis item to the agenda during this session.
