No 'Secret Plan' At Roberto's Ristorante: Lawyer

ELMHURST, IL — Roberto's Ristorante and Pizzeria has no "secret plan" to convert itself into a banquet hall, despite neighbors' assertions to the contrary, its lawyer says.

In its quest to add two parking lots, Roberto's, 483 Spring Road, submitted a 114-page memo in response to opponents of its plan. It was prepared for Tuesday's meeting of the city's Planning and Zoning Commission.

"Rumors of a banquet hall conversion are simply untrue," attorney Scott Day said in the memo. "Such speculation is unfortunate and misleading to Elmhurst residents and Roberto's clientele."

To compete with other banquet halls, Roberto's, owned by the Moreci family, would need more parking than is available in the entire Spring Road business district, Day said. Roberto's plan to add parking would alleviate parking problems in the neighborhood, he said.

With the new lots, he said, "the Spring Road area will pick up more than 50 parking spaces at no expense to the taxpayers within an area where the City itself is responsible for providing adequate parking... (D)enying the Moreci family the only viable use of the land will impose an extreme and arguably unconstitutional hardship."

In a March meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission, Mark Daniel, who represents neighbors opposed to the lots, said no other restaurants and bars that are active until 1 a.m. have parking lots next to residential neighborhoods.

In response, Day provided eight examples of restaurants and bars that are next to housing. But an online search showed that only one — Spring Inn — was open until 1 a.m. (A man was killed just outside Spring Inn earlier this month, police said.)

In the memo, Roberto's was described as a "very active" pizza and takeout dining business. On some nights, as many as 20 delivery drivers are working, the restaurant said.

None of the four dining areas can comfortably accommodate groups larger than 50 people, so a banquet hall is out of the question, the memo said.

At a February hearing of Planning and Zoning, resident Mike Novak asked the Moreci family to state with unequivocal clarity that it will not open a banquet hall.

In bold letters, Day delivered the response: "In answer, the Moreci family hereby states that they will not convert Roberto's into a banquet hall."

The 114-page document did not answer the neighbors' assertions that Roberto's was violating city codes.

During the March hearing, Daniel, who represents Elmhurst Neighbors United, showed photos of the back of Roberto's. He said the pictures demonstrated the restaurant was already in violation of city codes, even while it sought variances from the rules for its expansion.

"Over the past 10 or 15 years, it's been a real disaster back there. There has been no respect for the neighbors," Daniel said. "You've got outdoor storage all over the place. It's not just unscreened waste enclosures, but it's stockpiling of refuse, stockpiling of recycled materials, outdoor storage of materials they use on the interior."

He said other code issues were "fairly obvious" — a boarded-up window, a broken window, doors unable to shut, electric conduit problems, an extension cord running around a portion of the building.

Daniel also pointed to an unscreened waste oil container, saying it smells.

The parking lot issue took center stage for a few days in the mayoral campaign last month. Elmhurst Neighbors United gave a $5,000 donation to one of the candidates, but he later returned the money when it became enveloped in controversy.

The next Planning and Zoning meeting on the Roberto's proposal is set for May 18, when members are expected to make a decision. The matter will then go to the City Council's Development, Planning and Zoning Committee, then to the full council.