La Grange Denies This Type Of Business Downtown

LA GRANGE, IL – A majority of La Grange trustees on Monday rejected a proposal for a chiropractor to operate in a downtown building's first-floor space.

Opponents of the plan argued the village should reserve downtown for stores and restaurants.

But supporters contended officials must think of new ways to fill vacancies.

Meanwhile, a local chiropractor, Dr. Sarah Boyce, reminded trustees that the village denied her request for a first-floor office nearly a decade ago.

Dr. Alex Georgiou, who has a practice in Orland Park, asked the village to change its zoning code to let him operate on the first floor at 108 W. Calendar Ave., which is owned by local businessman Dan Spain.

Last year, Spain got approval for five short-term rentals on the second story.

Under Georgiou's proposal, most of the first-floor space would be for retail, facing the street. A small part, he said, would be for services such as intravenous treatments, hyperbaric oxygen therapy and B12 injections.

Last month, the village's Plan Commission voted 4-2 for his request.

Boyce, a chiropractor with a second-floor office on the same block, said she wasn't allowed to operate on the first floor nine years ago.

She said there was nothing to say that Georgiou won't eventually operate as a traditional chiropractic practice on the first floor. The fact that the business would have a first-floor sign advertising a chiropractor would give him an edge.

"This does set a precedent for the future of other service-based businesses," Boyce said.

The village's long-term aim is for a pedestrian-friendly downtown with stores and restaurants.

Village President Mark Kuchler said he was strongly against the proposal.

He noted La Grange has won awards for having the best suburban downtown. Allowing medical services, he said, would chip away at what separates La Grange's downtown from others.

"Changing the rules will give less opportunity for retail," Kuchler said.

Trustee Shawana McGee agreed, advising against changing the village's code to "appease one person."

However, Trustee Beth Augustine said the village has allowed exceptions, such as gyms. She said the village's code hasn't kept up with the times.

"We haven't had too many retail concepts come lately," she said. "Are we saying that we're not going to allow anything that doesn't fit our 1990s code to come in?"

Trustee Glenn Thompson said La Grange has a lot of vacant retail space downtown.

"We have to start finding creative ways to bring people to downtown La Grange," he said.

The Village Board voted 4-2 against the chiropractor's request.

The majority consisted of trustees McGee, Lou Gale, Tim O'Brien and Peggy Peterson. Augustine and Thompson dissented.

After the vote, Kuchler encouraged those requesting the code change to consider other spots in La Grange. They walked out.