Council approves specialty butcher shop

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Updated: June 12, 2011 12:21AM

AURORA — The City Council voted to allow a specialty butcher shop at 629 S. River St. Tuesday night, with eight of 12 aldermen voting for the measure.

Mayor Tom Weisner didn’t have to cast a vote on the butcher shop this time around, as Aldermen At-Large Richard Irvin and Bob O’Connor changed their votes. They supported the butcher shop Tuesday night.

Aurora resident Fermin Benitas plans to slaughter and sell chickens, turkeys and other animals at the site of a shuttered brass foundry.

Because of voting requirements that were overlooked, the council thought it had approved the butcher shop at an April 27 City Council meeting. But the next morning, the city discovered that not enough votes were actually cast in favor of the shop, so the request was defeated. Weisner cast the deciding ballot in the 6-5 vote April 27.

Aldermen Abby Schuler, 1st Ward, and Scheketa Hart-Burns, 7th Ward, were absent at that meeting.

O’Connor, who said that the location wasn’t ideal when voting against the shop two weeks ago, said Tuesday he reconsidered his position.

“I’m going to change my vote on the basis that all of the elements together are probably very appropriate,” O’Connor said.

While Irvin said the majority of resident calls he received urged him to vote against the business, he also changed his mind.

“I may not agree with the location or the pictures I saw (but) the animals have to be slaughtered. Period,” Irvin said. “I (voted against the business) once. I don’t know in good conscience if I can do so again.”

Although two residents spoke against the butcher shop at the last City Council meeting, this time only supporters voiced their opinions.

Ron Lang, an Aurora attorney; Scott Rayfield, the current property owner and President of Trio Foundry; and Rene Cruz, Aurora Hispanic Chamber of Commerce president, urged aldermen to allow the business.

“This is a good, hard-working man and the right location,” Lang said.

Cruz said Benitas has chosen to open a business in Aurora and could open a shop cheaper somewhere else.

“Why would we want to send the message to neighboring communities that he is unable to open a successful business in the town he lives in?” Cruz asked.

Benitas said he plans to open the business in four months and will employ three people.

“It was very challenging to convince people,” said Raul Tavizon, a contractor slated to work on the project. “They are not used to this sort of thing. (People) fear one will open on every corner.”

Schuler; Stephanie Kifowit, 3rd Ward; John “Whitey” Peters, 5th Ward; and Lynda Elmore, 10th Ward, voted against allowing the shop Tuesday.