Palatine Rejects Liquor Store Proposed Near Rand and Dundee

The proposal for a seventh liquor store near the intersection of Rand and Dundee Roads was rejected by the Village Council. 

Carlos Nava, owner of Las Adas Liquor, which currently operates his business at 2001 N. Rand Road in Verde Plaza, asked the council for a special use permit to move his business to the Chicago Clock Tower strip mall. The mall is at the southeast corner of Rand Road and Capri Drive  several hundred feet south of where the business is currently.  

Nava said his  landlord will only offer him a one year lease that could be cancelled at any time.

“We look at standards for special uses; will the business be operating with the public safety and welfare in mind and will it have a substantial effect on property values,” said Reid Ottesen, Palatine village manager.

There are six package liquor stores already located within a half mile of the strip mall, with Teddy’s Liquors about 600 feet away. Residents living in Rand Grove Village behind the mall also have expressed concerns about the potential impact on their neighborhood, Ottesen said.

Village staff recommended the council reject the request. The Zoning Board of Appeals also was not in favor of the proposal, voting six to one against it on April 26.

“I don’t think it’s our vision to have what is being proposed on that corridor, which is liquor stores, tattoo shops and a pawn shop,” said Greg Solberg, District 4 council member. “I am certainly opposed to the use at that location.”

A letter from the Palatine Police Department also spelled out the number of alcohol-related violations over the last three years in the area. They include a total of 97 open alcohol violations, 32 alcohol related calls, 33 DUI arrests and four traffic accidents involving pedestrians.

“Part of my district runs up there and I‘ve gotten a lot of residents saying they don’t want another liquor store in that area,” said District 3 Council member Jim Clegg.