Banquet center pitched for Vernon Hills

After years on the sidelines, a group of investors wants to make a statement on a long-vacant site along Milwaukee Avenue in Vernon Hills.

With a facade that could resemble the famous clubhouse at the Augusta National Golf Club, the proposal known as Vernon Center would feature a high-end restaurant and banquet facility — amenities long sought by village leaders.

But the 7-acre site south of the Walter E. Smithe store between North Woodbine Circle and South Woodbine Circle has several admitted challenges.

“We have 18 investors who have owned the land for seven years and they’re very excited about doing something. But it has to be the right fit,” Joel Friedland, a partner in Brit Properties, said Tuesday during a presentation to the village board.

Owners also say a sales tax rebate would be needed for the $12 million investment to work, a practice some village board members want to slow.

Trustees generally supported the idea but said they need more detail about design and other aspects, such as how many trees might be removed.

“There are a lot of unknowns here. You need to bring me a pro forma about shared monies,” Trustee Cindy Hebda said. “We need a white tablecloth restaurant in town. We don’t need another burger joint.”

Friedland said he has developed five industrial projects in the village but this would be the first retail venture.

Lake Forest developer James Follensbee’s plans for a boutique hotel and office building known as County Mayo were approved by the village in 2003. But the idea fizzled and the narrow property stretching 900 feet along Route 21 came to be owned by investors associated with Friedland.

“I hope we can stop calling it County Mayo because that’s not what it’s going to be,” he said.

Investors hired consultant John Melaniphy, who has done retail studies for the village, to assess the market. After much debate, they settled on an elegant dining and event space in a heavily landscaped setting.

As proposed, the centerpiece would be a 26,500-square-foot building with a front facade Friedland said possibly could be an exact replica of Augusta National.

“It’s going to be as charming as we can make it,” he said. “We’re going to landscape this to the point it’s going to be a showplace.”

A high-end restaurant and a gourmet prepared and packaged foods retailer would occupy opposite corners. A banquet facility facing an outdoor patio and private garden, would be in between.

Another space would contain expensive collectibles — essentially a museum where everything is for sale, Friedland said.

“There’s nothing like this anywhere in the suburbs,” he said.

Friedland said owners have invested $4 million in the property and would spend $8 million on the building and grounds. Investors first wanted to know if the idea would fly with village officials.

“I think it’s going to generate a tremendous amount of sales tax but if we don’t get help, I don’t think we can do it,” Friedland told the board.

“Personally, I like the concept a lot,” Trustee Thom Koch said. “We need details.”

That includes estimates on sales tax revenue and incentives to be sought.

The first order of business will be to clear scrub vegetation so the village and owners can see what significant trees are on the site.