Commission approves seasonal outdoor bar at 319 Meyer Street with design conditions

The East Dundee Planning, Zoning and Historic Commission granted a certificate of appropriateness on June 4 for a freestanding, seasonal outdoor bar at 319 Meyer Street, the patio area for Foxy’s Hideaway. Applicants Joseph (Joe) Condo and Anastasia Sherry described a wood-framed 6x6 post structure with a pitched green metal roof, string lights, an exterior TV and hidden coolers tied into building utilities.

The applicants said the bar is intended to be seasonal (daytime and evening service while weather permits) and that the structure is freestanding and not attached to the building. They said the service area will use existing indoor restrooms for handwashing and that any food service for the bar will be limited so as not to trigger a different food-service classification.

Commission members reviewed materials and offered design suggestions focused on visual fit with downtown: paint and staining to match the building, a filled gable on the street-facing side for a cleaner look, flange/rake trim and guttering to control run-off, and FRP (fiber-reinforced plastic) backing at the service counter for health-department cleaning. One commissioner recommended the pitched green metal roof option presented in the packet, which the commission approved along with specified trim and gutter details.

Chair Brunner and commissioners praised prior work by the applicants and said they were comfortable granting the certificate with the indicated design choices and with the seasonal character of the structure. “Within these bones,” a commissioner said, “let them look beautiful,” reflecting the view that the design should be allowed some flexibility so long as materials and screening match the village character.

Next steps: applicants may proceed with the approved angled green metal roof configuration and required flashing/rake trim and gutters; standard building permits and health-department requirements apply.