4th Octave Wine and Spirits View Full Caption

GLADSTONE PARK — Ald. John Arena (45th) criticized the Gladstone Park Chamber of Commerce this week for failing to support a plan to turn a long-vacant building on Milwaukee Avenue into an "upscale" liquor store.

Owner Pradeep Patel, who needs a liquor license before he can open 4th Octave Wine and Spirits at 5636 N. Milwaukee Ave., asked the chamber of commerce to send city officials a letter supporting his proposal, which has the support of Arena and has been approved by the city's zoning board.

"At the very least, the chamber should be working to attract businesses to the area," Arena said. "I'm trying to understand why they wouldn't support a new business that has made a $300,000 investment in the community."

Heather Cherone says there's no love lost between neighborhood group and Ald. Arena:

Arena even aired his frustration over the issue on a Reddit page Northwest Side residents use to discuss local news and issues.

Arena, who is running for a second term on the City Council, said he supports the proposed store because it would fill a long-vacant 1,600-square-foot building in the Gladstone Park Business District. He said Patel's record in other parts of the city proves he can operate a liquor store that will benefit the community.

But the chamber board declined to issue a letter of support for 4th Octave because Patel has not agreed in writing to a plan that details the rules the liquor store must follow to prevent it from causing a nuisance, including limits on the store's hours, the sale of low-priced alcohol and security requirements, chamber President Dave Wians said.

"Our whole reason to exist is to help businesses, and we'll do whatever we can to help," Wians said. "But we need that information."

The chamber has written a letter of support for a proposal only once before since its founding in 1991, Wians said.

Nearby residents have also expressed concerned over the store's opening and fear it could lead to a return to the days when their neighborhood was plagued by noise, litter and crime caused by a nearby convenience store that sold liquor and a rowdy bar.

But Patel has made a verbal commitment to incorporate a host of restrictions into his liquor license to operate the store near Milwaukee and Marmora avenues, said Owen Brugh, Arena's chief of staff. The regulations will be finalized once Patel applies for and receives the liquor license, he added.

Those restrictions are similar to the rules in place at the 7-Eleven near the Jefferson Park Transit Center at 4859 N. Milwaukee Ave., and will include a ban on the sale of half-pints of liquor, single-serving containers of beer, wine and malt liquor, and a limit the store's hours of operation, Brugh said.

Those rules have "paid off dividends" and reduced crime around the transit center, Brugh said.

Patel said he was disappointed by the decision by the chamber's board of directors to reject his request for a letter of support, but planned to apply for a license in the coming weeks. He hopes the store could open in January or February, he said.

"There is no letter of support needed for the liquor license," Patel said, adding that the store will be a good addition to the community and an example to other liquor stores.

Arena and the chamber have also been at odds over a proposal to reduce Milwaukee Avenue through Gladstone Park from four lanes to two lanes in an effort to improve traffic flow, reduce crashes and make the area safer for pedestrians and cyclists by expanding bicycle lanes.

Working with Chicago Police Lt. John Garrido, who is challenging Arena in the February election, Wians and other members of the chamber gathered 4,000 signatures objecting to the bike-lane plan.

Wians said it was a "shame" Arena was using social media to blast the chamber rather than communicating directly with its members.

"He's barking up the wrong tree," Wians said.

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