Liquor license changes shorten waitlist for Streator businesses

The Streator City Council on Wednesday approved changes to the city’s liquor license ordinance, carving out room for Streator businesses that had been on a waitlist to obtain licenses.

Key changes include:

• Tavern licenses: Increased by one, from 28 to 29, to allow The Par Shack to obtain a license.
• Package liquor licenses: Increased by two, from 13 to 15, opening up licenses for Dabarkadz Grocery and Rock Island Hospitality

“My notes show that the total quantity of licenses remains the same, but there’s just a shift from one category to another,” Mayor Tara Bedei said during the meeting. “These changes will clear up about a half of the waitlist for the businesses currently looking for licenses.”

The council also placed a cap on liquor licenses for businesses primarily relying on video gaming, limiting them to four in the city. Bedei said the video gaming capacity had already been in effect prior to this meeting.

The ordinance approval was unanimous with no discussion, and changes will take effect immediately.