Burr Ridge Car Dealer Wants Second Chance

BURR RIDGE, IL — The owner of a luxury car dealership is asking for another chance from the Burr Ridge Village Board, which denied him a special-use permit last month because of previous violations. This decision effectively shut down the business.

Awad Odeh, owner of Apex Motorworks, 16W260 83rd St., told the board he wanted to prove he could follow the conditions of his permit the next time around. He said he missed the January meeting when his permit was considered because his wife had rushed him to the hospital in a medical emergency.

"If I had been in my right mind, I would have sent my brother to the meeting to appear before you and talk about these points," Odeh told the board at its meeting last week. "I was not in my right mind. I totally forgot when I was sitting in the hospital that I was supposed to be at a meeting."

The next day, he said he got the news from a village official that his permit had been denied in a 3-2 vote. He asked at last week's meeting for reconsideration.

In response, Mayor Gary Grasso asked whether any trustee would make a motion to reconsider. No one did.

Odeh said he was shocked that not even the two supporters of the permit would back reconsideration. In rejecting the permit, he said, Burr Ridge closed a business that spent nearly a half million in town, including $100,000 for outside improvements required by the village.

"I'm in shock you will find it so easy to put us out of business when we literally haven't turned a profit two years later," Odeh said.

In particular, the last four months have been a struggle for Apex, when it has generated hardly any business, he said. "I'm shocked that not a single person would raise a hand to give us a chance," he said.

Grasso said Odeh was leaving out a long history that occurred before he became mayor in May 2019.

In 2017, the village issued a permit for Apex to sell luxury cars and maintain cars it owned. But at some point, the dealership started renting out cars and maintaining cars brought in by the public, in violation of the permit, according to the village.

Despite such violations, Odeh requested a further loosening of the new special-use permit, including reducing the average sales price of cars to $50,000, from the current $75,000, and being allowed to maintain dealership-sold cars, not just those at the business.

The zoning board had approved a new special-use permit with the original conditions, excluding the revised ones. But the village board, which rejected it, had the final call.

"This board bends over backward to make things work. I believe the board did that, and you still exhausted its patience," the mayor said. "I believe this board gave you every opportunity and more from what I've reviewed before I was the mayor and since. I have to respect and you have to respect their opinion."

Odeh responded, "I have nothing but respect for everyone's opinions. God knows, I have respect for everyone in this room. But what are we supposed to do?"

Grasso said Odeh could call him the next day and "I'd be more than happy to discuss it."

Odeh agreed to do so.

Odeh has sent a letter to the village board apologizing for the past violations.