Village Board Bits: Gatto's Plans to Add Patio

received support of the Village Board on Monday for plans to add a small patio directly behind the restaurant, located at (address here). The board will vote on the permit next week but will take some time to discuss the hours of the patio.

There would be at least five tables but no more than six, seating 24 people at most, behind Gatto’s. Last week at a Plan Commission meeting, residents in the Schoolhouse Manor area shared their concerns about noise and other potential issues.

Village staff recommended closing down the patio at 9:30 p.m. during the week and at 10 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, but owner Frank Gatto was hoping for slightly later hours, which the board appeared to support. He asked to close at 10 on weeknights and 11 on weekends.

“To make his investment, which is not insubstantial … it really makes more sense from his perspective to have the later hours,” attorney Kendall Lynchey said.

Trustee Annette Bowden suggested granting earlier hours and extending them later if there were no issues with residents, but staff agreed that it’s an easier process for everyone to reduce hours instead of extending them, which would require an entirely new license.

The ordinance stipulates that there may be no games, free-standing bars, speakers, live music or other entertainment on the outdoor patio. All patrons must enter through Gatto’s to reach the outdoor patio, which will be buffered with some plants and a small fence.

“I don’t have a problem with the hour with Frank because few people do more than him for the community,” Trustee David Smith said. “I don’t think we’ll have any problems.”

Also at the Meeting

Cheaper Fees for Developers: Despite some debate late in March over whether to charge lower water tapping fees to developers, the Village Board unanimously voted Monday to give the breaks.

The ordinance changes the way such fees are calculated specifically for age-restricted, multiple-family developments. The discussion has come up before, but a new senior housing development planned for New Lenox brought it back to the village's focus. It could mean about $375,000 in savings for developers that would otherwise go to the village.

Cutting Village Hall Hours: Because of a lack of traffic, Mayor Tim Baldermann suggested closing on Saturdays, when the building is currently open from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

For starters, it'll save the village costs for utilities and staff to close down the building when it's otherwise unused. But Baldermann recognized that the hours are good for some who work all day, so he said the building could remain open until 7 p.m. on Wednesday nights. He also proposed keeping it open Saturdays during busy times, such as when new vehicle stickers are out or tax rebates are collected.

Smoking Ban Vote Next Week: No one from the public or on the Village Board voiced any concerns with the village's proposed smoking ban, which .

The board will likely approve the ban at next Monday's meeting. This ordinance was drafted shortly after a hookah lounge announced its plans to come to New Lenox at the location where Cafe on Cedar was at 398 N. Cedar Road. This new ban would affect hookah lounges and keep smoking out of stores that primarily sell cigars and cigarettes, which are currently exempt under the state ban.

More News: Read our other stories out of Monday's Village Board meeting, including an and to seek lower electricity rates.