Peoria Standard

City of Peoria Liquor Commission met August 7.

Here is the minutes provided by the Commission:

A meeting of the City of Peoria Liquor Commission was held in Room 404, City Hall, 419 Fulton Street, Peoria, Illinois, on August 7, 2017, Chairman Cassidy presiding, with proper notice having been posted.

Roll Call:

Present: Chairman Cassidy; Commissioners: Camille Coates, Scott Kelsey, Mike Miller - 4;

Absent: Commissioner O’Brien - 1.

Others present: Deputy Liquor Commissioner Eric Turner; City Clerk Beth Ball; Corporation Counsel Don Leist; Liquor Investigator Kevin Slavens; Fire Captain Stan Taylor; Deputy Clerk Trina Bonds; concerned citizens and media.

I. Call to Order

Chairman Cassidy called the meeting to order at 3:30 p.m.

II. Approval of Minutes

Commissioner Miller moved to approve the Minutes of the June 5, 2017, Liquor Commission Meeting, as outlined; seconded by Commissioner Kelsey.

Approved by roll call vote:

Yeas: Cassidy, Coates, Kelsey, Miller - 4;

Nays: None;

Abstention: None.

III. Liquor Site Applications

Chairman Cassidy read the amendment to Section 3-57, which will be read at the beginning of every Liquor Commission Meeting.

“The Liquor Commission is a recommending body with respect to site approval. Our function is to determine if the location of an establishment is appropriate for the class of liquor license being requested and then make a recommendation to the City Council as to whether the application should be approved or denied. The City Council makes the final decision.

Under Section 3-57 of the Code of the City of Peoria any misrepresentation or false statement made to either this Commission or the City Council relating to the proposed business to be operated on the site can result in a denial of your liquor license; suspension and/or revocation of a license if already issued, and a fine of up to $1,000.”

17-12 Grandview Lodging Inc.

d/b/a Four Points by Sheraton Hotel

d/b/a Craft309

500 Hamilton Blvd.

Requesting: Class D (hotel)

Subclass 4 (ballrooms)

John Brinkman, General Manager and Sam Hall, Food & Beverage Director, Hawkeye Hotels, presented a Site Application for a Class D (hotel) Liquor License, with a Subclass 4 (ballrooms) at 500 Hamilton Blvd.

In discussion with Chairman Cassidy, Mr. Hall gave a brief overview of the status of their remodeling. He said originally they had planned to be open before the holidays, but he said they weren’t 100% certain of their opening date.

City Clerk Beth Ball said she wanted to relay a message from the Liquor Commissioner asking for the Commission not to defer the Site Application per the recommendation of the Community Development Department. She clarified that the Liquor License would not be issued until all stipulations that the Commission had set forth were met and a Certificate of Occupancy had been obtained. She went on to say they did not want to cause any additional delays for the hotel.

Hearing no more questions, Chairman Cassidy called for the motion.

Commissioner Miller moved to recommend approval of the Site Application for a Class D (hotel) Liquor License, with a Subclass 4 (ballrooms) at 500 Hamilton Blvd, contingent upon the issuance of the Certificate of Occupancy; seconded by Commissioner Coates.

Approved by roll call vote.

Yeas: Cassidy, Coates, Kelsey, Miller - 4;

Nays: None.

Chairman Cassidy stated this recommendation would be heard at the City Council Meeting to be held on Tuesday, August 22, 2017, at 6:00 p.m. and a representative of this establishment should be present at that meeting.

17-13 Stephanie Lillig

d/b/a Pioneer Smokehouse & Saloon

1112 W. Pioneer Parkway

Requesting: Subclass 1A (2:00 am closing hours)

Subclass 3 (beer garden)

Stephanie Lillig, Owner, presented a Site Application to add a Subclass 1A (2:00 closing hours) and a Subclass 3 (beer garden) to an existing Class B (restaurant, 50% food) Liquor License, with a Subclass 2 (live entertainment) at 1112 W. Pioneer Parkway.

In discussion with Chairman Cassidy, Ms. Lillig shared photos and she said a couple of Community Development Department’s concerns had already been addressed. She said she was currently working with the owner of the property to address other issues. She expressed concerns in regards to the request to add trees. She commented that the requirement might cause a safety issue for patrons when exiting the parking lot of her establishment.

Chairman Cassidy suggested that Ms. Lillig work with the Community Development Department in regards to her concerns.

In response to a question in regards to the request for the Subclass 1A (2:00 am closing hours), Ms. Lillig explained that they were definitely still a restaurant and they were not looking into becoming a night club. She said they had planned to continue serving food until closing on those days that they were open until 2:00 a.m.

Hearing no more questions, Chairman Cassidy called for the motion.

Commissioner Kelsey moved to recommend approval of the Site Application to add a Subclass 1A (2:00 closing hours) and a Subclass 3 (beer garden) to an existing Class B (restaurant, 50% food) Liquor License, with a Subclass 2 (live entertainment) at 1112 W. Pioneer Parkway, contingent upon the successful completion of the requirements of the Community Development Department; seconded by Commissioner Miller.

Approved by roll call vote.

Yeas: Cassidy, Coates, Kelsey, Miller - 4;

Nays: None.

The recommendation for the Subclass 1A (2:00 a.m. closing hours) will be heard at the City Council Meeting to be held on Tuesday, August 22, 2017, at 6:00 p.m. and a representative of this establishment should be present at that meeting.

16-17 Casa de Arte, LLC

d/b/a Casa de Arte

306 Pecan

Requesting: 90-Day Extension Request

Arturo Vargas, Owner, presented a request to approve a 90-day extension of his previous Site Approval a Class A (tavern) Liquor License, with a Subclass 1A (2:00 a.m. closing hours) at 306 Pecan.

In discussion with Chairman Cassidy, Mr. Vargas said the renovation of the kitchen of the establishment had taken longer than they expected. He said the kitchen was almost half way completed.

For clarification, Ms. Bonds explained the request had originally gone to the City Council on August 23, 2016. She said after being deferred and subsequently tabled, the Site Application was removed from the table and approved by the City Council on February 14, 2017. She said the Site Approval would expire on August 14, 2017, and that was the reason for the request for an extension.

During a brief discussion, it was decided that a 6-month extension would be more appropriate.

Commissioner Coates moved to recommend approval of a 6-month extension of the Site Approval for a Class A (tavern) Liquor License, with a Subclass 1A (2:00 a.m. closing hours) at 306 Pecan; seconded by Commissioner Kelsey.

Approved by roll call vote.

Yeas: Cassidy, Coates, Kelsey, Miller - 4;

Nays: None.

Corporation Counsel Don Leist left the Liquor Commission meeting at approximately 3:39 p.m.

IV. Election of Officers

After brief comments, Chairman Cassidy moved to nominate Commissioner Michael Miller as the new Chairman of the Liquor Commission; seconded by Commissioner Kelsey.

All Commissioners were in favor of the nomination. No objections were heard.

Commissioner Coates moved to approve the nomination of Commissioner Michael Miller as the new Chairman of the Liquor Commission; seconded by Commissioner Kelsey.

Approved by roll call vote.

Yeas: Cassidy, Coates, Kelsey - 3;

Nays: None;

Abstention: Miller - 1.

V. New Business

There was no new business to discuss.

VI. Next Scheduled Meeting

The next scheduled regular meeting of the Liquor Commission is Tuesday, September 5, 2017.

VII. Adjournment

Commissioner Kelsey moved to adjourn the meeting; seconded by Commissioner Coates.

Approved by viva voce vote.

The Liquor Commission Meeting adjourned at 3:42 p.m.

http://www.peoriagov.org/content/uploads/2012/11/Minutes-8-7-17_1504104262_add.pdf