Wilmette judiciary committee trustees recommended that the village board decline the request of a liquor license for a Walgreens at 811 Green Bay Road. The village board concurred with the committees request at the board meeting Feb. 9, said Karen Spillers, judiciary committee member and trustee.

The committees decision to deny the application was largely based on emails from concerned residents whose homes back up to the rear exit of Walgreens, said Spillers.

I am also cognizant of the concerns of neighbors that have voiced their opposition, Spillers said. These are residents on Park Avenue whose homes share a common alley with the store. They have some legitimate issues that need to be addressed.

Wilmette officials said residents wrote to the village, stating they are concerned a liquor license will spiral into traffic and security issues. Judiciary committee member Mike Basil said he and residents are particularly concerned with the stores three-block proximity to McKenzie Elementary School at 649 Prairie Avenue.

Thats pretty close, Basil said. We told Walgreens you need to address the concerns of the neighbors, speak to them and engage them.

Concern over security and safety is also a top priority for Walgreens staff, said Walgreens spokesperson Robert Elfinger.

We work very closely with law enforcement, Elfinger said. If there was an issue, we would be the first ones who would want it fixed. In our estimate its not really an issue.

The village board accepted the judiciary committees request to deny the liquor sales application, and Walgreens officials are going back to the drawing board, Elfinger said.

At this point there isnt a plan, Elfinger said. Its still very early in the planning process. We havent gotten into too many of these types of situations. Weve only been doing this since the middle of last year.

Wilmette Village Manager Tim Frenzer explained that the village board would have to write an entirely new liquor sales ordinance in order for Walgreens to be able to sell beer and wine.

"The board is declining to issue a new ordinance to that effect," Frenzer said. "At this point it's in the board's discretion to or not to write an ordinance just for them (Walgreens), and at this point they're not disposed to do that."

Walgreens aims to enable alcohol sales at 65 percent of its 7,000 store locations across the country, Elfinger said, and the Wilmette location is the companys first north shore attempt at a beer and wine sales license. Walgreens enabled beer and wine sales at Vernon Hills and Niles locations in the last year, Elfinger said.

The Deerfield-based company requested a license to sell beer and wine at its establishment as part of the companys initiative to bring back alcohol sales after a nearly 20-year hiatus in most stores, Elfinger said. The store had sold liquor but stopped the practice in the early 1990s when it became too hard to track, stock and control, Elfinger said.

Read more about this issue, go to Wilmette board to vote on whether to allow alcohol sales at Walgreens.


By Amy Alderman, Triblocal.com reporter
Sue Ter Maat, Triblocal.com reporter, contributed to this report