With construction to begin soon on the new $4.3 million clubhouse at the Wing Park Golf Course, the Elgin City Council signed off Wednesday on a rule change giving food trucks — including one at the clubhouse — conditional use standing.
The council then used the new ordinance to approve a conditional use under which Chip Shots Whiskey and Simulator Bar can operate a food truck to prepare meals for outside and inside consumption. The business also will sell alcoholic beverages.
Wing Park is a nine-hole course on about 60 acres of land created in 1908. It is the oldest nine-hole municipal golf course in the state of Illinois.
The existing 2,355-square-foot clubhouse, built in 1936, is located across the street from the course and will remain in use for other purposes once the new 9,600-square-foot facility, designed by FGM Architects Inc., opens about 40 feet north of it.
“You might see some dirt getting moved next week,” said Mike Lehman, golf operations director, told the Elgin City Council at its Wednesday meeting. “We’re really excited. This is just fantastic.”
In addition to Chip Shots Whiskey and Simulator Bar, the new clubhouse will have a pro shop, indoor driving range, and golf and sports simulators. The lower level will be used for golf cart storage.
Elgin is close to reaching an agreement with a local business to run the whiskey bar. The council had been scheduled to approve the contract Wednesday, but the vote was delayed because staff needs to “finalize some remaining provisions in the agreement,” City Manager Rick Kozal said.
The area between the new and old clubhouses will be made into an outdoor plaza with space for the food truck and seating.
In order to clear the way for the food truck, the council Wednesday unanimously approved an ordinance amendment under which mobile food vendors would obtain a conditional use from the city rather than a temporary use. The change will allow food trucks to be permanent fixtures downtown and in areas zoned for community facilities, while retaining the need for requests to go through the Planning and Zoning Commission review process.
Businessman Greg Berna raised numerous objections to the amendment, saying downtown Elgin already has areas designated for food trucks under the temporary use requirement, he said.
“(The change) is just not needed,” Berna said.
Beyond that, permanent food trucks take away business from brick-and-mortar restaurants, he said, questioning whether codifying them as a special use would benefit the city in the long run. The food truck to be set up at the Wing Park clubhouse would likely be temporary as dictated by the golf season, he said.
Councilwoman Tish Powell disagreed, saying food trucks are popular with residents and visitors and should be treated as permanent rather than temporary.
“I definitely think there is a place for them in our community,” she said, adding they don’t necessarily compete with existing restaurants.
“I think it is something that can help create a vibrant destination in our downtown,” she said.
However, Powell said she was concerned that the recommended $980 fee for a conditional use application was too high. Her motion to cut that cost in half was approved with a 6-3 vote, with council members Diana Alfaro, Dustin Good and Rose Martinez casting ballots against the reduced fee.
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The council also approved an Elgin Parks and Recreation Department’s application for the Wing Park food truck.
Because the clubhouse doesn’t have a full-scale kitchen, inside diners’ orders will be filled through the food truck, Lehman said. Golfers and visitors will be able to eat inside the clubhouse or in the outdoor plaza seating area.
“It’s really going to be a unique environment,” Lehman said.
Gloria Casas is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.