Geneva aldermen agreed this week to move forward with a request for site plan approval for a one-story Rockwater Grill restaurant on the former Hillquist Excavating property, 106 Bennett St., despite their concerns about inadequate parking in the area.
The restaurant would seat about 200 people, with seating for an additional 38 people on an outdoor deck.
A parking lot with 33 spaces is included in the plan, a number deemed inadequate by most aldermen. An additional 126 parking spaces are available within walking distance of the site. The city’s Plan Commission voted 5-4 Monday to approve the project.
City Planning Director Dick Untch told aldermen the applicant met the requirements of the city staff and zoning ordinances.
Tracy Burnidge of TAB Construction Co, the local developer for the project, said the restaurateur is talking to business owners in the area to arrange for valet parking in their lots during the evenings when the businesses are closed. He also said employees and valets would be restricted from parking in the Water Street area and in nearby residential neighborhoods.
The nearly half-acre site is bounded by a Geneva Park District bike path and single-family houses to the north, Illinois Highway 25 and town homes to the east, retail and commercial establishments to the south, and the bike path and the Fox River to the west.
The City Council will consider the matter again at its July 10 meeting in City Hall at 7 p.m.
In other business, city hearing Officer Robert Morrow recently imposed a $300 fine for building-code violations at a property at 116 Stevens St.
The city’s Code Compliance officer, Jim Forni, said the house, built in 1859, has been deteriorating for four years and efforts to encourage the owner to repair it have failed. The homeowner has started the work numerous times but not completed it.
Morrow said he would consider deducting the fine from taxes if the repairs are made within 60 days.
