Deleterious Impact Ordinance
The chamber actively participates deleterious impact ordinance hearings which make it easier for neighborhood residents to shut down liquor establishments that threaten public safety and quality of life. Their purpose is to give taverns and liquor stores a strong incentive to address community complaints early, before things get out of hand.
“A bad liquor establishment can destroy the quality of life in a neighborhood by attracting drunks, troublemakers and criminals,” Daley said at a news conference outside a shuttered tavern at 3701 W. Fullerton Ave. “If a business is having an adverse effect on quality of life, then it should shape up or shut down.”
“No legitimate bar, liquor store or restaurant has anything to fear from this ordinance,” Daley said. “If a resident has a grudge against a particular owner, he still would have to collect signatures from more than half the neighbors. Beyond that, the owner has the right to a hearing -- and the right to appeal any decision.
The first ordinance allows 51 percent of the voters living within 500 feet of a liquor establishment to obtain a hearing of the Mayor’s License Commission by signing petitions saying the establishment is having a “deleterious impact” on the neighborhood.
“Deleterious impact” is defined as “an adverse effect on the value of any property, an increased risk of violations of law associated with the licensed premises or its patrons, or a substantial increase in noise, litter or congestion...”