City Council Moves Closer to Liquor on the Beach

By Kevin Robinson in News on May 7, 2010 2:00PM

The City Council's License Committee advanced the Park District's request to more than double the number of liquor licenses on the lakefront yesterday, approving 14 new locations along Lake Michigan. "The Chicago Park District is not at all interested in creating a tavern, packaged goods or any sort of beer garden environment anywhere on its property, and consumption of alcohol is intended to be limited to the footprint of the premises as provided for in the liquor license application as submitted by each individual applicant," Timothy King, the park district's director of intergovernmental affairs told the Tribune.

There's been some controversy over expanding liquor sales at city beaches, but aldermen see it as an opportunity to improve facilities in some of the city's public parks. 42nd Ward Ald. Brendan Reilly agreed to a venue at Ohio Street Beach if the applicant agrees to build public restrooms as part of the license. "This is an opportunity to address a longstanding concern at that very popular location, a lack of facilities," Reilly told the Tribune. And while it might seem odd to see beer and wine sold at public beaches in Chicago, if you've spent any time in Europe (especially Prague and Budapest) you're aware that liquor consumption isn't the taboo in other cultures that it is in the U.S.. The proposal to expand liquor sales at city beaches now heads to the full council.