The outdoor dining and shopping venue in downtown Arlington Heights will operate until Nov. 2 or the first snowfall, whichever comes first, the Village Board approved
At the virtual Village Board meeting Monday, trustees voted 9-0 in favor of extending the outdoor dining venue, called Arlington Alfresco, beyond the previously planned Sept. 8 closing date. Trustees also voted in favor of asking music venues to turn down the volume, out of consideration for the more than 2,000 downtown residents, or face suspension of the privilege.
There was much board and community discussion during the meeting over the loud music and how to manage it, the lack of mask wearing and social distancing, along with the need for more police enforcement of the area.
The European-style street café set-up opened in June in response to the COVID-19 pandemic as a way to help popular downtown restaurants stay in business – but still provide customers with the social distancing and restaurant dining many of them wanted.
Streets were closed, tables and chairs were set up and soon some venues featured outdoor live music. Arlington Alfresco became a destination for not only local residents, but for neighboring communities.
According to Village Manager Randy Recklaus, of the 245 emails he has received to date about Arlington Alfresco, the majority have been positive, with 84% of those emails specifically asking the village to host Arlington Alfresco on an annual basis, he said Monday.
However, Recklaus said he also received numerous noise complaints, primarily from residents of the Metrolofts building.
“Under normal circumstances, we don’t allow outdoor music but because we know certain businesses are dependent on music and consider themselves music venues first, restaurants second,” Recklaus said.
The village has permitted the music and there were recommendations that the Village Board continue to allow it but offer some restrictions.
Trustee Tom Schwingbeck said not a weekend has gone by since the opening of Arlington Alfresco when he didn’t receive a call from a resident complaining about the loud music.
“We gotta control the music, we gotta turn it down,” Schwingbeck said. “Police, village staff, have to be standing at the entrances or at Vail [Avenue] and Campbell [Street] and keeping music to a minimum so residents can live in their condos and enjoy activities and not have to listen to the music.”
Trustee Robin LaBedz, along with Trustee Greg Padovani, shared their experiences visiting downtown condos and discovering how the music from the street intensifies when it travels upward and how distracting this has been for residents, particularly in the Metrolofts building. There was some discussion of putting an open tent over the music venues to stop the upward travel of some of the music.
Chris Dungan, one of the owners of Hey Nonny restaurant, said he has been listening to the concerns and working with the condo president and building manager at Metrolofts, while monitoring the decibel level of his outdoor performers.
“Thank you to the village for putting al fresco together, it was a lifeline for the businesses,” Dungan said. “But by limiting our ability to [provide] live music, it could substantially hurt us.”
He explained Hey Nonny’s motto is “live music, local kitchen,” and that music is part of the restaurant’s identity that can’t be removed.
“It’s like taking Italian food out of an Italian restaurant, or Mexican food out of a Mexican restaurant,” Dungan said.
Hey Nonny co-founder Chip Brooks also urged the board not to take steps to “ruin their business” and added he would like to see more consistent police presence in the area to control crowds and also manage what he called “nonsense” on the top deck of the next door Vail Avenue public parking garage.
Neighbor Larry Rebodos, of Big Shot Piano Lounge and Restaurant, added he is also monitoring music decibel levels.
“We are trying to make any adjustment we can,” Rebodos told the board. “Music is an integral part and why people come down to Big Shot and Hey Nonny.”
Mayor Tom Hayes said he hated to dictate how they should run their business but said, “You have to adjust your business model, not stop your music, just adjust the volume level.”
A few residents who spoke during the meeting said they were happy with Arlington Alfresco and expected the noise levels.
“The event has been terrific for this town, I’m hoping you extend it,” said Jim Memolo,
who moved to downtown Arlington Heights last year. “If you’re going to move into an area like this, as a resident, you should come to expect some ambient noise.”
Other concerns raised during the meeting included a comment from Schwingbeck that he’s observed dogs walking through the outdoor dining area and people riding bikes, both of which are restricted. He asked for more police oversight as did other trustees.
“Too many people are walking through [Arlington Alfresco] without masks on and not being 6 feet apart,” LaBedz said. “If we are not careful, our [COVID-19 positive] numbers will go up. I do want to encourage everyone who comes down there to follow the rules.”
Elizabeth Owens-Schiele is a freelancer.
