Coffee Shop Gets Board's OK (Update)

UPDATE, 3/17: The Planning Commission Zoning Board of Appeals met on March 16 and provided conditional approval to the petition by Hansa Coffee Roasters.

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Originally posted March 16.

LAKE BLUFF, IL - Planning and zoning officials in Lake Bluff denied a coffee shop’s request to open in the village because it would compete too closely with Prairie Espresso, an already established coffee stop.

The Planning Commission/Zoning Board of Appeals last month denied a special use permit request from Hansa Coffee Roasters that would have allowed them to open in the space once occupied by The Daily Grind butcher shop, according to the Daily North Shore.

The rejection was based on insufficient parking and the effect it would have on the “immediate vicinity and development of neighboring property,” but concern was also raised that it would compete too closely with Prairie Espresso (located on Scranton Ave.), whose owner showed his displeasure with the idea at the PCZBA meeting in February.

“I’ve supported them the last year and a half,” Prairie Espresso owner John Davis said of Hansa, which roasts its own coffee beans out of Libertyville. “I’ve exclusively used their beans...I find it a little bit crass they’re coming to town.”

Village President Kathleen O’Hara and members of the Village Board of Trustees have unanimously asked the PCZBA to reconsider its rejection of Hansa. The board will meet again on March 16.

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