City Council Votes Against Zoning Amendment For Cat Lounge On Roosevelt Road

WHEATON, IL — On Monday, the Wheaton City Council voted against a zoning amendment request to allow a domestic animal lounge at 923 Roosevelt Rd. The petitioners, Candle of Hope, were aiming to build a cat lounge that would provide housing and play areas for cats and allow visitors to interact with the cats.

The council voted 6-1 against the resolution, with council member Erica Bray-Parker casting the sole "yes" vote.

During the meeting, council member Scott Brown raised concerns that the zoning amendment did not line up with plans the city council had discussed for the Roosevelt Road Corridor. Brown said he he thought it would be "disingenuous" to allow a zoning text amendment in the wake of these conversations.

Brown said he was "struggling with this in light of some of the broader Roosevelt Road Corridor conversations that we've hand historically."

Council member Lynn Robbins said she agreed with Brown. She said, "I just don't see how this fits in our plan that we laid out."

Council member Scott Weller said "It's kind of a high-intensity part of town for more ofa low-intensity type of user."

Other council members expressed that they were uncertain what a domestic animal lounge might bring to the corridor. Council member Leah Brice said, "We don't really have anything like that around anywhere else."

While council member Bray-Parker said she agreed with that line of thought, she also said she favored the petitioners' requests, mentioning that planning and zoning had recommended approval.

Mayor Phil Suess said, "Went through al lot of work defining the uses and permitted uses along Roosevelt Road."

He added, "I don't think we're at a point where we want to amend or make exceptions to what we recently approved with respect to the Roosevelt Road zoning."