Controversial Roberto's Proposal Clears 1st Hurdle

ELMHURST, IL — A key city committee on Tuesday approved a controversial plan for parking lots behind Roberto's Ristorante and Pizzeria, which neighbors opposed

At the end of a 2½-hour virtual meeting, the Zoning and Planning Commission voted 5-2 to recommend the parking lots for the Spring Road restaurant. But members placed conditions on hours of operation, lighting and fencing. The decision follows 15 hours of public hearings over the last few months, with many nearby residents accusing the popular restaurant of being a bad neighbor.

Commission members agreed to limit the hours of the parking lots to 11 p.m. and require the lot's lights to be turned off at that time. The restaurant's website states that it is open until 11 p.m. on the weekends, but officials said Roberto's requested the parking lots be used until 1 a.m.

The panel also said it wanted the restaurant to install an 8-foot opaque fence between the lots and the neighbors and include landscaping on the neighbors' side.

In March, the lawyer for the opponents of the Roberto's parking lots argued it was a "real disaster" behind the restaurant with plenty of code violations — stockpiling of refuse, unscreened waste enclosures, a boarded-up window, a broken window, doors unable to shut, electric conduit problems and an extension cord running around a part of the building.

Roberto's attorney did not specifically respond to those allegations, but said the restaurant's parking plan would be better for the congested Spring Road commercial district.

During Tuesday's meeting, commission member Dave Garland, who voted against the proposal, noted the neighbor's mistrust of the restaurant. He said he feared the lots would be injurious to the neighborhood.

"The public welfare, safety and morals could be an issue and only exacerbated by this lack of trust and how the petitioner has conducted themselves within the neighborhood," Garland said. "As a practical matter, there are going to be traffic implications."

Member Carol Snyder, who also voted against the proposal, said more than half the parking spots would border neighboring homes. She also noted the "long history of conflict" between Roberto's and its neighbors.

"We have the ability to limit the hours of operation, but I don't think that's practical because it would really be in conflict with Roberto's hours of operation," she said. "I don't see how Roberto's would be motivated to self-enforce a parking restriction because it would really mean clearing out paying customers, which isn't practical. In light of their business operations, enforcement could really become an ongoing issue of concern day in and day out for neighbors."

Even member Lisa Callaway, who voted for the proposal, said it would be a "real challenge" to get the cars out of the parking lot at a reasonable hour.

But the commission's chairwoman, Susan Rose, said customers have a responsibility to follow the rules if they are duly warned that the lots close at 11 p.m. and the lights are turned off.

Snyder took issue with the argument that the parking lots at Roberto's would provide a public good because of the lack of parking in the Spring Road district. She said the new lots would be for private use and that Roberto's customers would likely choose the convenience of available street parking or a nearby public lot.

Member Jordan Uditsky disagreed. He said Roberto's was the biggest user of parking in the Spring Road district, so the new lots would relieve parking congestion in the area. In so doing, he said, it would follow Elmhurst's long-term plan for development.

Another member, Melissa Pittman, added, "The biggest burden on parking in the area is Roberto's, so if they are providing a parking lot to pull away some of that, that does provide some public benefit as well."

The zoning commission does not have the final say. The parking lot issue next goes to the City Council's Development, Planning and Zoning Committee, tentatively set for June 14. Then the matter goes to the full City Council.

In a statement Wednesday, Mark Daniel, attorney for Elmhurst Neighbors United, which opposed the Roberto's proposal, said the group is disappointed in the commission's recommendation.

"While much can be said about efforts to impose conditions on the parking lot, it should have been evident to the members of the PZC during their discussion of the conditions that no conditions can capably allow the parking lots to co-exist with other residential and commercial uses in the area," Daniel said. "With the PZC recommendation, five of its members have indicated that any owner of residential land can face a late-operating, noisy and unsightly situation when any business decides to expand its parking from a commercial district into a residential district. As indicated during deliberation, this same problem can arise along any of several corridors in Elmhurst."