Williamson's Looks To Add Second Location in New Lenox

After the noisy atmosphere and late hours of the now-shuttered Bluestone Bar and Grill left a bad taste in some residents' mouths, New Lenox officials are considering a proposal for a new restaurant to fill the space.

At Monday's Village Board meeting, New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann introduced a plan he hopes will be a compromise to fill the space. The owners of Williamson's Restaurant & Bar, now located near Providence High School, want to open a second location on the east end of town. To do so, they've agreed they would close the new location at 11 p.m. on weeknights and 1 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

Bluestone had a liquor license that allowed it to be open and serve alcohol until 2 a.m. every night of the week, and it also housed bands that performed inside or on the outdoor patio. Bluestone closed Sept. 1 after the owners, facing economic strains, opted not to renew the lease.

"The reason I entertained the thought is the hours are better and we're familiar with the establishment," Baldermann said. "It's a difficult balance because we don't want to see an empty storefront, but we don't want to make the town upset."

Baldermann and property owner Tom Cachey both said they heard from numerous groups interested in the location, which is near the New Lenox Retail Center off Route 30.

"We are in a tough economy, but I've had more than 10 serious lookers in that space, including people from the city," Cachey said. "As soon as I tell them no 2 a.m., they're driving back to Chicago."

In addition to earlier closing times, the second Williamson's location would not have live music, karaoke or recorded music playing through outdoor speakers. But that might not be enough to earn the trust of residents concerned with noise and village trustees who said they were burned by broken promises from Bluestone.

Mary Pesavento, a resident who lives near the restaurant location, addressed the Village Board on behalf of her neighbors.

"I think it's a great idea to have a family restaurant, but I really don't agree with the late hours," she said. "Anything past 11 p.m., even on weekends, is going to cause a problem. It's been a dream since Bluestone Bar and Grill closed."

Williamson's co-owner Angelo Gellis tried to quell the concerns of residents and board members, explaining ways to eliminate bright headlights in the parking lot, contain groups of smokers and keep patrons from being too loud. Gellis said there always would be an owner on site, and he doesn't expect his restaurant would attract the rowdy crowd that frequented Bluestone.

"We're going to be a restaurant, not a bar," Gellis said. "We don't anticipate any issues and we'll be very friendly with the community. Without loud music, our clientele might be a little different. We're too old for that (crowd)."

But the main concern remains the hours of operation, and Baldermann said it was difficult to negotiate with anyone to close earlier than 2 a.m. Trustee Annette Bowden asked whether the restaurant could close at 10 p.m. during the week and at midnight on weekends, but Gellis said he fears that would cut into business too much. Despite Gellis' efforts to assure the board Williamson's wouldn't be a Bluestone repeat, some trustees still were distrustful.

"We heard the same thing with Bluestone," Bowden said. "It's fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me. Knowing I'd be granting an a.m. liquor license again, I cringe."

The Village Board would need to approve a new classification of liquor license for Williamson's proposed hours and to restrict bands or music from playing, and Baldermann expects that vote to come Nov. 8. If the new license is created, trustees could vote at their Nov. 15 meeting on whether to approve it for the second Williamson's location.

Baldermann asked board members and residents to voice any concerns either during or before the Nov. 8 meeting, so village officials can work to solve any remaining issues.