Tattoo Shop Rules Divide Elmhurst Officials

ELMHURST, IL – There's something about tattoo shops that doesn't align with Elmhurst's character.

Or at least that was the suggestion at Monday's City Council meeting.

Under its code, Elmhurst has banned tattoo shops. At the meeting, aldermen opened the door a bit.

But the new rules on such shops are still more stringent than those in many towns. The regulations would limit the shops to specific commercial zones.

A few aldermen pushed for allowing the shops in more areas, with one saying some colleagues may have an "antiquated" view of Elmhurst's character.

But the majority rebuffed them.

Under the new rules, the council will allow tattoo services as an accessory use in medical offices, beauty salons, spas, art studios, microblading or permanent makeup establishments, tanning salons and nail salons.

But a tattoo operation cannot exceed 150 square feet in such businesses, with only one chair allowed. Such shops would only be allowed in certain types of commercial areas, but not in downtown or the Spring Road district.

Such shops could be freestanding only in an industrial zone if they obtain conditional use permits.

'Nothing scary about me'

At its meeting, the council heard from the public about the tattoo proposal.

Lance Neilson, who runs a tattoo shop in Bensenville, said he advocates for safety in his line of work and had issues with the city's approach.

He said limiting such shops to an accessory use and to 150 square feet was "extremely irresponsible and dangerous, which may be hyperbole, but that's what I believe."

Elmhurst resident Emily Quinn said the proposed rules would let her business expand its services in a local commercial district.

She said the current code allows her to put ink in people's faces for beauty purposes.

Under the new rules, she said she could do remembrance tattoos, help breast cancer survivors with areola restoration and cover burn scars with art.

"There is nothing scary about me or the services that (the proposed regulations) would allow," Quinn said.

'Antiquated notions'

Alderwoman Jennifer Veremis, a member of the committee that drafted the proposal, called it a "balanced approach." She noted she has two tattoos herself.

"My goal was to find a reasonable middle ground that allows these services in Elmhurst while maintaining the character and business mix of our commercial districts," said Veremis, who heads the local chamber of commerce.

Emily Quinn, an Elmhurst resident who runs a local business, said the new regulations on tattoo shops would let her expand the business's services. She spoke at Monday's City Council meeting. (David Giuliani/Patch)

However, Alderman Jacob Hill said he didn't understand the compromise as it relates to Elmhurst's character.

"I see us as dealing with some antiquated notions about what the character of Elmhurst is, how we look at body modification," he said.

He referred to a Pew Research poll that showed that 46 percent of Americans aged 30 to 49 have at least one tattoo.

Other affluent towns allow standalone tattoo shops in their commercial areas, he said.

"We're supposed to be representative of our constituency and increasingly that is our constituency," Hill said. "When we talk about the character of Elmhurst, I think the character of Elmhurst may be changing when we're looking the other way."

'Slightly offended'

Alderwoman Emily Bastedo took exception to Hill's comments.

"I do have to say I'm slightly offended about the language that says people who are against expanding tattoo establishments are doing it because they are afraid or just not cool enough and don't understand how common tattoos are," she said.

Bastedo said she didn't hear 46 percent of Elmhurst residents saying they need tattoo shops in Elmhurst.

She also said she disagreed with the Zoning and Planning Commission. Earlier this year, it found the city had no basis to restrict tattoo shops to certain types of commercial and industrial areas.

And the commission's chairwoman, Susan Rose, said the code's current ban reflects a "vague prejudice" against tattoo shops.

Bastedo said the council sets policy, not the commission. She called the panel's position unfair.

"Their argument is they don't see a reason. They weren't seeing a full discussion," she said. "All they got was a quick summary from staff."

Like Hill, Alderwoman Karen Sienko opposed the majority's preference, which she said creates unnecessary restrictions without a clear public benefit.

"These businesses are licensed and regulated," Sienko said. "They operate under public health, so I don't understand why they would be specifically set as an accessory use."

Hill proposed the council amend the proposed policy by allowing tattoo shops as a permitted use in commercial districts outside places such as downtown and Spring Road.

The council rejected the revision 8-5, with Alderman James Nudera absent.

Supporting Hill's change were Sienko, Michael Bram, Rex Irby and Dan Virgil.

On the other side were Bastedo, Veremis, Noel Talluto, Guido Nardini, Mike Baker, Chris Jensen, Brian Belanger and Mike Brennan.