Elmhurst Officials Clash Over Roberto's Proposal

ELMHURST, IL — Elmhurst Alderwoman Dannee Polomsky, who has said she would not want a parking lot next to her house, says Roberto's Ristorante's proposed lots next to houses would impose no hardship.

On Thursday night, the city released Polomsky's report on the two parking lots requested by Roberto's Ristorante, 483 Spring Road. Neighbors formed a group in opposition to the proposal, saying the lots would add more traffic, noise and stormwater runoff.

In August, two members of the City Council's zoning committee voted against Roberto's request. The third member, Polomsky, dissented. In May, the Zoning and Planning Commission voted 5-2 for the proposal.

In her report, Polomsky said the parking lots would not diminish the property values of nearby houses. To reject the commission's recommendation, she said, would require findings that the hardship imposed to be greater than the benefit to the public.

"The Minority notes that while permits for parking lots at subject properties would be a change, they do not impose hardship," Polomsky said. "Residing in this neighborhood is in part dependent upon the vibrancy of the Spring Road business district. Provided this is permitted in an orderly manner and not detrimental to neighbors, it is a public benefit."

Residents have said they are concerned that the customers of the restaurant and bar would create noise late at night. But Polomsky said that is not the issue when considering a request for lots. She pointed to other cases of parking lots in residential neighborhoods, including lots for churchgoers and teachers.

"The activities of (parked) vehicle owners are not uses in question," Polomsky said. "Parking is the use in question. Residential properties abutting parking lots are not uncommon."

Polomsky said she favored requiring the restaurant to install an 8-foot opaque fence and add landscaping next to the houses.

The other two committee members were aldermen Mark Mulliner and Emily Bastedo. In their report, they again opposed the restaurant's request.

The city, they said, received an "exceedingly large amount" of testimony showing strong objections from neighbors to the project because it would be injurious to their use and enjoyment of their properties.

"It should be noted that for the neighbors on the south, the house next to them and the grassy mound behind them will both be replaced with parking lots lit by 16-foot poles," the aldermen said. "(The record) did not show that property values will not be substantially diminished if houses are replaced by parking lots close to the immediate neighbors."

On Friday, Otis Dungan, whose house on Eggleston Avenue is feet away from the proposed parking lots, said Polomsky's examples of residential parking lots were instances in which the houses were built next to the lots. Roberto's bought the house next to Dungan's and tore it down to make way for parking lots.

"We bought in 1995. There was a home next to us," Dungan said in a message to Patch. "When you buy a home next to a home, that's what you should have the entire time you live there."

He also said schools and churches don't have late-night liquor licenses.

Scott Day is the attorney for the Moreci family, which owns Roberto's. He said in a statement Friday to Patch, "The Moreci family expresses its appreciation for the disciplined analysis and the thoughtful reasoning within Chairwoman Polomsky’s Minority report."