With little discussion and a unanimous vote, the village council put a lengthy list of regulations on the books Monday that target sexually explicit businesses, of which there are currently none in Forest Park.
But a Beloit Avenue resident who manages a strip club in Stone Park vowed to fight the village on this front, suggesting that his application to open a topless bar on Industrial Drive has been unfairly cut down by the new regulations.
Chris Wessels, a property owner on Industrial Drive, has teamed up with club manager and village resident Ken DeGori in hopes of bringing adult entertainment to Forest Park. The two submitted a request Nov. 7 for a liquor license and an entertainment license and, according to public records, plan to open a 30,000-square foot club in a warehouse owned by Wessels at 7865 Industrial Drive, near the junction with Desplaines Avenue.
That location, however, was specifically excluded from a new zoning district that allows for sexually explicit businesses in the area. At a Nov. 19 zoning board of appeals hearing, village officials denied targeting the property based on the pending application. Planning consultant Jo Ellen Charlton said the address is too near a forest preserve based on setback requirements, and the village simply does not want adult businesses to serve as the gateway to Industrial Drive.
Following the council’s Nov. 26 vote on the regulations, DeGori declined to comment on the ordinance specifically, but promised to mount a legal challenge.
“It’s unfortunate that the council saw it this way, and it’s unfortunate because it’s going to cost folks a lot of money,” DeGori said. “I mean a lot of money.”
DeGori is the manager of Scores in Stone Park and, according to his application, has been in the industry for 17 years.
Prior to the meeting, Wessels said he would not take the village to court over the restrictive ordinance, saying that it’s not his battle to fight. Wessels said he is suspicious of the decision to exclude his property from the new zoning district.
“I didn’t think this was going to become much of an issue,” Wessels said. “I’m a property owner. I spend a lot of money on taxes. I spend a lot of money to be here. I didn’t create the issue.”
In late 2005 and early 2006, Wessels sparred with village hall over a proposal to tax property owners along Industrial Drive as a means to pay for infrastructure improvements to the area. He denied vengeance as a motive for attempting to open a strip club. Since the spat over the tax proposal, Wessels has donated to the mayor’s campaign fund and said his relationship with the municipality is pleasant.
Calderone declined to comment on the regulations following Monday’s vote.
Commissioner Mike Curry, who was a vocal advocate of the need for regulations, said he would prefer not to see a strip club in Forest Park.
“I think it’s unfortunate that one of our own residents would try to propose an adult use that would and does negatively affect the village,” Curry said.
