Despite Opposition, New Pawn Shop Approved

A pawn shop is going up despite the objections of nearby residents and their representative on the Cook County Board of Commissioners, Elizabeth Gorman.

The Maine Township residents near Potter and Ballard roads got a lesson in the pitfalls of being in an unincorporated section of the county during the commission meeting on May 6, when the store was granted a special-use permit despite their opposition, which they have been expressing for months.

The pawn shop will be at 9364 West Ballard Rd., in the Arthur's Court Shopping Center. The two neighboring towns are Des Plaines and Park Ridge, but the site is outside their jurisdiction, making Maine Township the default authority.

Gorman said that Maine Township doesn't have the apparatus for zoning approval, thus leaving Cook County with the decision.

The Landings Condominium Association complained about the proposal to open the pawn shop to Gorman (R-17th District). 

“The Landings opposition was my reason for voting against it,” said Gorman, who expressed empathy with the residents. 

However, the rest of the board was not swayed as the other members--four were absent--voted in favor of issuing the permit. Though she did not succeed in blocking the project, "there are conditions involved,” said Gorman.

The Zoning and Building agenda showed the conditions were:

• Hours of operation would be restricted to those cited within the recommendation.
• The trade of firearms and weapons would not be allowed.
• The applicant must implement security measures such as video cameras and a buzz system to enter.

Gorman said the Landings residents were notified about the conditions but they remained opposed to the business. She said most people she talked to who oppose the shop were worried about criminal elements that they believe frequent pawn shops.

Andrew Przybylo, secretary to the ZBA, testified at the commissioners' hearing that a county study showed crime is not affected by a pawn shop being located in a neighborhood.

Click here to learn more about events leading up to the decision in an article from Triblocal.