Mayor Lori Lightfoot is now proposing a midnight ban on alcohol sales at packaged good stores, backing off an earlier plan to stop liquor sales at 10 p.m. that aldermen said wouldn’t fly, her office said Tuesday.
Prior to the pandemic, liquor stores in Chicago were allowed to sell most types of alcohol until 2 a.m. or later. There have been efforts in recent years by some aldermen concerned about violence and loitering near liquor stores to set earlier hours, but those proposals have not gained much traction.
A 9 p.m. curfew on liquor sales took effect in the early days of the pandemic and was later extended to 11 p.m. Lightfoot has defended her push to permanently shorten sales hours by pointing to “quality of life issues” such as loitering and “illegal activity.”
The mayor’s compromise measure still needs to be approved by the City Council, but her office noted it has the support of some key aldermen including Ald. Emma Mitts and Ald. Tom Tunney. The measure is scheduled to be up for a committee vote on Thursday.