McHenry's Courthouse Tavern gets live music permit despite neighbor complaints

The Courthouse Tavern in McHenry received a permit this week allowing live music on its patio during the summer, much to the consternation of one neighbor.

The McHenry City Council voted 4-3 to allow live music at the tavern at 1401 Riverside Drive. Alderman Andy Glab, 2nd Ward; Alderman Frank McClatchey, 3rd Ward; and Alderwoman Chris Bassi, 4th Ward, voted against the request.

According to neighbors, the tavern that opened in March was hosting music events on its patio before getting a permit from the city.

“The noise is awful,” neighbor Kym Belyaev said, adding she has video that shows windows rattling at her home next door to the Courthouse Tavern. The family has been calling McHenry police to complain about the noise.

“Whether you have music playing or not, it is your patio that is bringing people in, not the music playing.”

—  McHenry resident Kym Belyaev

The permit approved by the council on Monday allows live, amplified music on one Friday, Saturday or Sunday night each month from May 1 through October 31.

Acoustic music, without amplification, is now allowed on a similar schedule, but with no limit on the number of times each month.

The Kopley family of Nick Kopley, brother Demetri Kopley and nephew Kyriakos Kopley, opened the tavern in late March. It offers a full bar and limited food menu in what was the original McHenry County Courthouse. The Kopleys spent nearly two years renovating the building.

Belyaev praised the building’s renovation, saying the structure “had been an eyesore for years” and that upgrading it was good for the neighborhood. But she said the music was too much.

Nick Kopley said proprietors want music to help bring more customers to the new location and build up their business, but Belyaev disagreed.

“Whether you have music playing or not, it is your patio that is bringing people in, not the music playing,” Belyaev said.

Both Veterans Park and Smith’s Garage are nearby, Phil Belyaev said, but the family does not believe the loud music is coming from either of those locations.

“We will hear the occasional drumbeat from that,” he said of Smith’s Garage, a wedding and special event venue on Pearl Street. “There is a lot of noise abatement from the park because of trees and other houses.”

Boats on the Fox River often produce loud noises with stereos.

“That is five seconds” of noise, Phil Belyaev said.

In their original pitch to the planning and zoning commission, the Kopleys sought a live music permit for Friday through Sunday nights throughout the summer.

“They have greatly reduced what their original ask was,” said Ross Polerecky, McHenry’s community development director.

McClatchey sought to turn the music down further, limiting the number of live music events with amplification to just three a year, but with no limit to the number of acoustic music events. That motion failed, with he, Glab and Bassi voting for it.

The motion, as approved, called for the Kopleys to come back next spring for a review before a second year of live music would be approved.

Mayor Wayne Jett also suggested the Kopleys speak to the music manager at The Vixen on Green Street, the live entertainment venue he and his wife helped to open.

“The Vixen engineers ... have resources to help with that,” Jett said.