Extensions through next October of temporary moratoriums on the issuance of zoning approvals for gun shops, medical marijuana cultivation centers and dispensaries in Niles’ manufacturing district were approved by the Village Board at recent meeting.
The reason behind the extensions is staff and a consultant have worked for the past 18 months on a rewrite of Niles’ zoning code, said Ross Klicker, the village’s economic development coordinator. The updated code will likely be completed in the next few months, he said, and the village doesn’t want to risk issuing a special use permit for either a medical marijuana facility or gun shop if the new regulations ultimately contradict the current rules on the books for such uses.
The Village Board approved a special use permit allowing a proposed gun shop and range to open within one mile of several schools in 2014 and voted to extend the permit this past summer despite protest from residents in Niles and nearby communities. People for a Safer Society, a Skokie-based grassroots organization, filed a lawsuit over a year ago against the village and this past summer filed an amended suit naming the corporation behind the gun shop and range, 6143 Howard Partners, as an additional defendant after a judge dismissed the initial claim in June. The suit alleges the facility, to be called the Sportsman’s Club and Firearms Training Academy, would endanger children, negatively impact businesses and result in increased crime.
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Klicker said the moratorium on zoning approvals for gun shops has nothing to do with the controversial facility or the subsequent lawsuit. He said the business’ application was processed and approved by officials, and as far as the village is concerned, “that issue is closed.” Even if the updated zoning laws would preclude a gun shop and range from opening at 6143 Howard St., the new code won’t be retroactive and therefore has no affect on previous zoning approvals, Klicker said.
He also acknowledged the slim chance any medical marijuana cultivation or dispensaries would open up shop in Niles under the state’s current regulations. Illinois’ medical marijuana pilot program, which took effect last year, allows for up to 21 cultivation centers and 60 dispensaries to grow and sell medicinal marijuana in the state. Both must abide by statewide zoning regulations in addition to whatever local code calls for.
Klicker said it’s possible the state could increase the number of licenses available for dispensaries and cultivation centers. The village wants “to make sure we have the proper zoning (code) to consider” any potential future applications, he said.
The last time the village conducted a major overhaul of its zoning code was during the 1960s, he said. “Currently, our zoning code allows for a haberdashery but does not specifically spell out computer store,” Klicker said. “It’s a document that needs to be brought up to the current times and planning standards.”
Planners in 1960s Niles also preferred to keep retail stores separate from other commercial uses, which worked in an automotive-centric society, he said, but times have changed. Today’s residents prefer pedestrian friendly streets with services and goods located within close proximity, Klicker said.
“We are trying to get back to the pre-1940s (zoning) model to encourage mixed-use environments where people can live and work and shop all in the same area,” he said.
The Village Board will likely vote on a final version of the updated zoning code sometime next year, Klicker said.
Lee V. Gaines is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.