Stone City Saloon Scheduled to Open This Month

Village trustees were quick to sign off on an ordinance allowing developers to install a larger than normal wall sign on their new Romeoville business.

According to owner Milton Karounos, he and his brother, Nick, plan to open Stone City Saloon later this month.

The 100-seat bar and restaurant is the new occupant of the former Half Time Sports Bar at 715 N. Independence Boulevard.

Trustees approved a special use permit that will allow the brothers to remove what Community Development Director Steve Rockwell called a “dilapidated” sign pole from in front of the business.

The permit also allows the developers to install a 44-inch wall sign with a partial cabinet/box sign, granting an exception to a village ordinance stating signs may not exceed 36 inches in height.

Box signs are also generally forbidden, Rockwell said.

“You have birds building in them, they rust,” he said. But the design of the Stone City sign would make the last word, “Saloon,” difficult to read if the cabinet were removed.

“The letters are very thin, almost razor cut,” Rockwell said. “The light might come through,” rendering it unreadable, he said.

The entire building has been completely renovated, Rockwell said. The exterior has been repainted. Stone accents on both the interior and exterior have been added in keeping with the restaurant's theme, and the parking lot has been resurfaced and resealed, he said. New landscaping will be added as the weather gets warmer.

“The applicants have been renovating and improving the building to get it ready for the opening of the development,” Rockwell said.

“I think anybody who has driven past the site has seen what an incredible job they’re doing already,” Mayor John Noak said. “It really is exciting to see this transformation of the site.”

Rockwell said the two-phase project will eventually include a The owners are also considering opening an outdoor patio during warmer weather. The location already has a valid permit for outdoor dining, he said.

But for now, the brothers are focusing on finishing work on the extensive remodeling in the hopes of opening the eatery in time for St. Patrick’s Day on March 17.

“Sometime next week, we should be pretty much done with construction,” Milton Karounos told trustees on Wednesday. “I’d like to be open for St. Patrick’s Day. It’d be a good opening.”

Trustee Linda Palmiter believes the restaurant will help spark other development on Romeoville’s east side.

“Just the fact that there’s some new development will help the area grow,” she said.