Bannerman's Sports Grill moving to Bartlett business park, adding outdoor music venue
Bartlett trustees have unanimously approved a special-use permit and $200,000 economic incentive agreement enabling Bannerman's Sports Grill to move from its 15-year-old home on Route 59 to the village's Brewster Creek Business Park.
The new location, hoped to be open by next summer, would include a 10,000-square-foot building and an outdoor stage in an 8.1-acre area on the south side of Hardt Circle.
The $200,000 economic incentive from the business park's tax-increment financing (TIF) district is estimated to be about 5% of the developer's investment of more than $4 million.
Bartlett Economic Development Coordinator Tony Fradin said eligible costs for the TIF funding include land acquisition and site grading and utilities, and excludes aboveground brick-and-mortar construction.
"I can't wait for that to be built," Trustee Raymond Deyne said after this week's vote. "Good luck."
The approved plans call for 272 indoor seats, 72 seats in an outdoor area, bench seating for about 50, a lawn seating area in front of the stage, and 189 parking spaces, including seven handicap-accessible spots.
The outdoor stage will be northwest of the building and face southwest. The nearest home is about 1,600 feet from the stage and is buffered by evergreen trees, buildings and berms, officials said.
In the wake of a sound study, plans were tweaked to rotate the stage 5 degrees clockwise, install a sound wall on its east side and limit volume to 97 decibels as measured from its mixing station. A designated smoking area also was added during the village's review process.
Since owner Said "Mac" Maqsood bought Bannerman's in 2018, he has expressed a desire to either relocate or expand the business beyond the confines of its original site at 858 S. Route 59 in the Bartlett Commons Shopping Center.
But no prior proposal was either as ambitious or accepted by village officials as the move to bring an entertainment venue to the Brewster Creek Business Park.