Village Board Approves New Liquor License

The Village Board created a new type of liquor license Monday night, and will debate next week whether to grant the license to a restaurant seeking to move into a residential-area shopping center.

wants to add a second New Lenox location in the spot where Bluestone Bar and Grill once was, but some nearby residents are concerned it would replicate issues they had with Bluestone's noise and safety.

While Bluestone's license allowed it to serve alcohol until 2 a.m. every day of the week, the new liquor license would allow for bar operations from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays and until 1 a.m. on Friday and Saturday nights. It would also prohibit loud music, bands and karaoke and require that trash pickup and disposal are done so in a manner that keeps noise at a minimum.

"I don't think you're going to have the same problem," Trustee David Smith said. "When Bluestone opened five years ago, there was almost no other bars. You knew you would get that clientele. But now, people have options to go other places."

At the , Williamson's co-owner Angelo Gellis echoed this claim, and said his restaurant has no intention of being a rowdy bar. Even so, almost 20 residents who live in the Bluestone Bay area came to the board meeting and some shared their issues with the potential 1 a.m. closing time.

"Our main concern is that it doesn't turn into what (Bluestone) was," said Rich Milkeris, a Bluestone Bay resident who lives directly across the street from the proposed location. "It was a living hell for five years. I'm afraid a nice restaurant will turn into a bar after 9 or 10."

The board voted 5-1 to approve the new liquor license. Trustee Annette Bowden was the lone dissenting vote, and Mayor Tim Baldermann was not at the meeting. Baldermann, who serves as liquor commissioner for New Lenox, brought Williamson's plans to the board's attention last month, and said he hoped the 1 a.m. closing time would be a compromise.

At Monday's meeting, Bowden proposed another compromise: Close Williamson's at midnight for a year, and if it gets by without complaints, extend the hours until 1 a.m. on weekends. Although the other board members didn't necessarily say they would support that, Bowden got enough support to propose an additional liquor license to Baldermann.

As liquor commissioner, Baldermann could potentially add this additional liquor license with a midnight cutoff to the board's agenda next week. But Williamson's owners will apply for the 1 a.m. license that was approved Monday night, and the board will vote on whether to grant it.

Bowden stuck around after the meeting to talk to the residents and she said she'll keep trying to get the closing time to be midnight at next week's meeting.

"It's still a residential area," Bowden said. "There's still going to be activity after 1 a.m."