Belleville City Council makes way for four businesses to get liquor licenses

Belleville City Council voted to give special-use permits to four businesses to get liquor licenses at its meeting Monday night.

That includes Main Street Cafe, a diner on West Main; LongStory Coffee, a coffee shop that shares space with Clara B’s Kitchen Table; Belleville Sportsplex, an athletic and recreation facility; and a special-event center that’s being planned on Mascoutah Avenue.

Aldermen also voted to allow outdoor seating at Main Street Cafe, but they postponed a decision on whether to allow it at the special-event center.

Four residents of Old Belleville Historic District spoke out against the center developer’s plan, citing concerns over parking, noise and security and asking for more details.

“This should be a project that brings the neighborhood together,” said Chris Rothweiler, alderman for Ward 6. “Instead, it’s torn the neighborhood apart, and I don’t like that at all.”

The special-event center will occupy the first floor of a historic brick storefront at 127 Mascoutah Ave. that has sat vacant for more than 27 years. The city recently sold it to developer Kathy Mordini, who plans to convert the second floor into offices for her business, Avenue Realty Associates.

The project has been controversial from the beginning. Two years ago, Mordini proposed using the building for a small-business incubator and vendor market with wooden outdoor “kiosks.” Neighbors argued that homeless people would sleep in them.

Mordini switched to the idea of hosting wedding receptions, baby showers and other special events. But on Monday night, neighbors expressed some of the same concerns.

“Would you want a party house with outdoor dining (and) outdoor drinking without a solid security plan and virtually unlimited hours across the street from your block?” Abend Street resident Bill Enyart asked aldermen.

Enyart said the development also works against recent efforts to curb the “explosion” of special-event centers in the city.

Other neighbors who spoke in opposition included Kathy Nadeau, who lives across Lincoln Street; Barb Swantner, who recently bought the old Charlie’s bar building on Mascoutah Avenue; and Keith Owens, former member of Belleville Historic Preservation Commission.

Over the weekend, Mordini sent aldermen an email answering questions that came up at a recent Belleville Zoning Board of Appeals meeting. She attached a petition signed by nearly 200 people in support of her project and more than 30 letters of recommendation.

Among other things, Mordini addressed concerns about the local homeless population.

“Using homelessness as a reason for stifling development is counterproductive to growing our community,” she wrote. “ Homeless (issues) should not be put on the shoulders of those that want to invest in the community.”

The 14 aldermen present at Monday night’s meeting voted unanimously to give Mordini a special-use permit for a Class F liquor license, which allows periodic alcohol sales for special events.

On Rothweiler’s suggestion, the City Council tabled a vote on a special-use permit for outdoor seating until December so they could get more information about hours and other plans. He said he would want any outdoor area to be surrounded by a 6-foot-high fence for security purposes.

Main Street Cafe

Gina Marie Buffa, owner of Main Street Cafe, took over the popular diner at 1601 W. Main St. about a year ago.

The Fairmont City resident said she immediately set out to make improvements after hearing that the St. Clair County Health Department had shut down the diner a couple of times under the former owner due to code violations.

“That’s not a problem anymore,” Buffa said Monday. “The restaurant is clean, the food’s excellent, our prices are cheap, and we have some very regular customers who come in every day.”

The menu includes full breakfasts, sandwiches, a salad bar, homemade soups, fried chicken, pork chops, meatloaf and other dinner specials.

Buffa said some customers would like to drink a beer with their chicken or fish platters, but the diner hasn’t been able to serve it without a liquor license. She plans to offer beer and cocktails such as fresh-fruit margaritas, mimosas and coffee with Irish cream.

“We’d just like to give a different ambiance to the place,” Buffa said.

LongStory Coffee

Erik Busch opened LongStory Coffee in December in the old Belleville train depot at 732 S. Illinois St.

The former brewer at Schafly Beer in St. Louis started his own coffee-roasting company in 2020 and began selling coffee at farmer’s markets and shops. He renovated the depot after it was vacated by Balance Coffee & Tea in March of last year.

In May, LongStory began sharing the space with Clara B.’s Kitchen Table, a restaurant that specializes in barbecue, Tex-Mex, Creole and other southern cooking. It already has a liquor license.

Busch’s plans regarding alcohol sales are unknown. He declined to comment for this story.

Belleville Sportsplex

Belleville Sportplex includes basketball and volleyball courts and studios for gymnastics and martial arts. It leases space in the 60,000-square-foot Family Sportsplex at 2346 Mascoutah Ave.

General Manager Juergen Huettner said Belleville Sportsplex wanted to get a liquor license because many adults who play in volleyball and basketball leagues would like to sit and enjoy a beer or wine cooler after their workouts. He hopes to add pickleball soon.

The business already has a concession stand.

“(The ability to serve beer) would obviously increase our concession sales,” Huettner said. “If people stick around, they’re going to have pizza. They’re going to have chicken wings. They’re going to have fries. They’re going to have hamburgers and cheeseburgers.

“If the guys cannot drink, they’re just going to leave our place and go down the street, and they’re going to spend their food money at a place where they can also have their beer.”

Huettner also is head women’s soccer coach at Southwestern Illinois College and a former coach at Althoff Catholic High School.