The DuPage County Zoning Board of Appeals on a November 2025 meeting heard continued testimony from applicants seeking a variation from the county's 1,000-foot separation requirement to allow a proposed six-machine video-gaming café at a property the applicants rent at 19 W 344 Lake Street in unincorporated DuPage County, an area completely surrounded by the Village of Addison.

Brian Armstrong, attorney for the applicants, told the board the applicants "expended quite a bit of money, and then we figured out it's about $250,000 in getting to this point now," and argued that expense and the timing of the county's separation rule created a practical hardship that justifies a variation. Armstrong said the applicants completed interior build-out in March 2025 and that the county's 1,000-foot restriction was adopted in about June 2024, after the project was well under way.

Armstrong described the business as a gaming café that would operate six video-gaming machines, expect roughly three to four guests per hour with average visits of 30 to 40 minutes, and sell only beer and wine (no hard liquor), with a four-drink limit per customer. He said the facility would be open from 9 a.m. to 1 a.m. on weekdays and until 2 a.m. on weekends.

Armstrong emphasized that the immediate commercial context is heavily trafficked Lake Street and listed nearby businesses he said reduce the likelihood of negative secondary effects: tattoo and auto-repair shops, fast-food restaurants, a Jiffy Lube and the American Tap Bar. He also noted that the only unincorporated gaming facility within 1,000 feet is Royal Liquor in the same strip mall and told the board that Royal Liquor "was not licensed for gaming when the applicant started this process" and remained unlicensed as of the hearing.

On zoning standards, Armstrong argued the applicants meet the variation criteria: the hardship arises from reliance and expense incurred before the county enacted the separation requirement; the use is permitted in the B-2 commercial district and therefore is consistent with the district's purpose; there will be no exterior modifications; and the proposed operation would not unduly increase traffic or reduce nearby property values. He pointed to a fire-department recommendation for approval included in the exhibits and said the applicants will enforce ID checks and not allow underage entry to the gaming area.

Paul Haas of DuPage County Building and Zoning responded to a board question about a health-department comment indicating the facility "will not meet" an identified health-code section. Haas said that objection appears to be linked to the presumption that food might be served at the café and that, "it's my understanding that this is only gonna be liquor and video gaming," which could render the health-department concern inapplicable. Armstrong told the board he believes he has an email from the health department saying they are "okay" and offered to submit it as an exhibit.

The applicants offered several exhibits for the record, including surveys, county GIS printouts and aerial photos, a fire-department recommendation (Ex. 3), a building permit dated 11/06/2023 (Ex. 4), a certificate of occupancy dated 03/20/2025 (Ex. 5), petition signatures from nearby businesses (Ex. 9), a written nonobjection from Royal Liquor (Ex. 10), and a project-cost summary (Ex. 11). Armstrong also referenced an invoice/check related to a G1 gaming license (Ex. 2) listed in the record as occurring in May 2025 (exact day not specified in the record).

No final vote on the variation was taken at the hearing. Chair Mr. Carmel closed the hearing, indicated the record was complete, and scheduled the board's consideration of a recommendation for its Dec. 4, 2025, meeting at 5:30 p.m. The meeting was adjourned with no additional business.

What happens next: the Zoning Board of Appeals will review the complete record and consider a recommendation on Dec. 4. If the board recommends approval, the matter will move to whatever administrative or legislative step the county's process requires for final action.