After weeks of discussion and several votes of support, the Des Plaines City Council voted 5-3 to reject a plan that would have kept a banquet hall's large outdoor tent operating.
Fountain Blue, 2300 Mannheim Road, has been using a 6,000 square foot tent for more than two years for weddings, banquets and other events. The use of the tent has drawn numerous noise complaints from residents. Fountain Blue had been cited five times for noise violations, convicted four times and fined $700, according to city staff.
Fountain Blue's owner Tom Diamond pitched a fence to the council aimed at reducing noise. However, the council rejected the 12-foot high wall after it became unclear whether Diamond had ever had permission to put up the tent in the first place.
"I'm voting no," fourth ward alderman Dick Sayad said. "I want to know what happened. The noise is not the issue here anymore."
Sayad and Third Ward Alderman Denise Rodd previously had supported an 18-month extension for Fountain Blue. Each switched their vote, making it 5-3 to reject. Fountain Blue's owners were so confident, that it was announced that the extension was a done deal.
However, Sayad said he was troubled by how the tent originally went up. The story had been that Diamond got the verbal go-ahead from a former city employee and the tent went up without going before the city council for approval.
Fifth Ward Alderman James Brookman said he had called the former city employee who allegedly gave the go-ahead and the employee had a different version. Brookman said the employee told him that the tent already was going up when he came across it and that Diamond had been told he was building it at his own risk.
Diamond was not in attendance at the meeting, nor were any representatives.
With the sound wall and extension voted down, the use permit for the tent expired.
"There's no conditional use permit, as of three minutes ago," Des Plaines Mayor Matthew Bogusz said in response to a question from an alderman following the vote.
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