Plan for Norwood liquor store dead
by BRIAN NADIG
A plan to bring what would have been the first liquor store in Downtown Norwood Park has been dropped, according to an aide to Alderman Mary O’Connor (41st).
The 3,500-square-foot store would have been located in the 6060 Plaza at 6060 N. Northwest Hwy. The sale of alcohol is allowed only in the northern half of the center, where Mo Dailey’s Pub is located, because the southern half is in a "dry" precinct where the sale of alcohol is banned.
About two-thirds of the 38 residents at a community meeting that O’Connor held last summer expressed support for the project as long as the owner would agree to a series of restrictions, including an earlier closing time. Those restrictions would be included in a "plan of operation," which would be attached to the store’s liquor license and which could be enforced by the Local Liquor Control Commission.
One of the factors which reportedly led to the withdrawal of the proposal was that the store owner would not agree to a 10 p.m. closing time, which O’Connor had requested. The owner said at the meeting that he hoped to close the store at 2 a.m. but that he would consider the recommendations of the residents on operating hours and the type of items which would be sold. Some residents suggested that the sale of single-serve beer containers of up to 40 ounces be prohibited and that wines and gourmet cheeses be offered.
O’Connor told residents that the owner would have to agree to a ban on the sale of hookah pipes, which he sells at his Cellar liquor store, 3106 N. Harlem Ave.
