Burr Ridge Lounge Plan Gets Key Panel's OK

BURR RIDGE, IL — A plan for a lounge at Burr Ridge's County Line Square cleared its first big hurdle Monday, despite opposition from neighbors.

The Plan Commission voted to recommend the "Are We Live?" lounge. It is proposed by Capri Ristorante owner Filippo "Gigi" Rovito and would be two doors down from the restaurant. The matter next goes to the Village Board, which meets Monday.

The commission received dozens of comments from neighbors, nearly all in opposition to the proposal. Most of the comments were in April when Rovito's proposal included music and dancing — in other words, a nightclub. He has since removed live music from the plan.

Related story: Watch Capri Ristorante owner's outburst at meeting

"It's not a nightclub," Rovito told the commission. "It's a high-end lounge for people to go there to relax, to unwind, have a cocktail, have a little food."

Neighbors, both residential and commercial, opposed the lounge because of parking and noise issues. Among the opponents is the nearby Capri Express, a separate business.

Neal Smith, an attorney who represented Capri Express and others, said Rovito had yet to provide a plan for parking. And he said he could find no legal authority for Capri's agreement with the Pace suburban bus agency, which lets the restaurant use Pace's nearby lot at night.

The proposal was for the establishment to stay open until 2 a.m., but the Plan Commission recommended the place close at midnight.

"Nothing good happens after midnight," commissioner Enza Parrella said.

Commissioners expressed frustration with Bob Garber, owner of County Line Square, saying he has failed to handle parking issues in the development. This has resulted in a number of tenants having to get zoning exceptions from parking requirements, they said.

Under the commission's recommendation, County Line Square would be mandated to submit a good faith application for a planned unit development, which officials said would be a better way to handle parking issues. The commission also wants a requirement for a parking management plan for the lounge.

John Garber, son of Bob Garber, disputed the idea that parking was a problem.

"Parking is not an issue with us at all," he said.

Rovito, a Burr Ridge resident, said that by the time his business gets going in the early evening, most of his retail neighbors are closed for the day.

"I've been there 16 years. There's never been a parking problem. There's never been a tow truck towing people away. There have been no accidents there. There have been no problems at all," Rovito said. "I don't understand why we keep talking about this over and over."

Commissioner Mike Stratis was among those convinced.

"I love your restaurant. I love you as a taxpayer. I think you're a good taxpayer. You're a good citizen," Stratis said.

Rovito is likely to get a friendly reception at the Village Board. He has close ties to Mayor Gary Grasso. Among other things, Grasso, an attorney, represented Rovito at least twice before on zoning matters before the village. This was before Grasso became mayor again. In April, Grasso made the case for "Are We Live?" in a Patch piece.