Requests for changes at Polish Triangle heard by community groups

A request for a zoning change and a request for a liquor license are under review for the Polish Triangle (Ashland/Milwaukee/Division)  by the Wicker Park & Bucktown Chamber of Commerce, East Village Association (EVA), Pulaski Park Assn.(PPA), the Wicker Park Committee (WPC) and Near North Montessori School. Last week there was a meeting with representatives of these organizations and the applicants.

Scott Lee Cohen, 2010 Democratic nominee for Illinois Lieutenant Governor and subsequent  independent gubernatorial candidate, has a contract on the 1227 N. Milwaukee Ave. building (northeast corner of Ashland and Milwaukee) in which he will put Governor's Pawn Shop. The contract is contingent upon obtaining a special use permit, required for all pawn shops. The new CVS Pharmacy that has just opened at Division and Ashland is seeking a packaged goods liquor license.

Reporting on the meeting, which was chaired by Ann Nolan of the WPB Chamber, Dina Petrakis, who chairs the WPC Preservation and Development Committee and sits on the WPB Chamber Board,  tells us that 1227 N. Milwaukee is currently zoned B1 and use as a pawn shop requires B3 zoning. "If approved, Cohen proposes down-zoning back to B1 immediately after getting his permit and agreed to a covenant stating that. The upper floor is to be an apartment which he intends to remodel as a three bedroom rental. The store would be about 4,000 square feet."

"He states that his decor will be 'classy, no neon.' He agreed to the community reviewing his exterior plans. He stated that his business is more favorable to working people than the chain pawn shops and payday loan operations and refers to his business as a service to the community and his clients. Mr. Cohen's father was in the same business and Mr. Cohen had three pawn shops before his recent candidacy. If approved, there will be three pawn shops between Division and North, on or very near Milwaukee Avenue.

"Second presenter was Larry Cohen (no relation), attorney for CVS, which wants to sell packaged goods at their new store at Division and Ashland. There is currently a moratorium on all liquor licenses on Ashland, from Grand to North, so a two-block section of the moratorium would have to be lifted. Once lifted, a new moratorium would have to be put in place, again by the Alderman, but any business in that area could apply for a liquor license for a year, the minimum time before the moratorium could be again established.

"CVS says that liquor would only be sold in full sizes, not individual beers, 40 oz. containers, or airline or flask-size bottles. The store is 8,100 square feet and the liquor would be 43 linear feet, 72 inches high. They stated that 5-7% of sales would be from the alcohol. The store is open 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily."

No vote was taken and according to several attendees discussion was not encouraged. Adam Burke, Executive Director of the WPB Chamber indicated that the meeting was informative. The respective groups have taken or will be conveying their groups position on the two requests. WPB Chamber is supportive of the pawn shop but not of lifting the liquor license moratorium, Pulaski Park Assn. (PPA)supports both with restrictions. According to their President Kapra Fleming, there was a mixed response within their group but they agreed to the pawn shop for this applicant only. Meaning that if his business left, it could no longer be a pawn shop. They also want him held to the physical guarantees of remodeling but not expanding or tearing down of the building. PPA also would want to make sure that any other liquor licenses given during the year-long period  would be reviewed by  their organization.

The WPC's President Ed Tamminga said that their Preservation and Development Committee and Board have discussed these two projects and will formalize a position at their Apr. 21 Board meeting.

EVA's Scott Rappe expressed concern that allowing a pawn shop on the Triangle is moving in the wrong direction. Rappe was part of a large consortium that included several area organizations and both the then 1st Ward Alderman Manny Flores and 32nd Ward Aldermen Scott Waguespack.  Teamed, in 2009,  with the Metropolitan Planning Commission and the WPB (SSA#33), their efforts were written up as Placemaking at the Polish Triangle, which is downloadable.

According to Raymond Valadez, Chief of Staff for 1st Ward Alderman Proco "Joe" Moreno, their office will accept recommendations from the local organizations prior to the project's review by the Zoning Board on Apr. 26.