FOX RIVER GROVE – A restaurant under reconstruction after a grease fire might receive some village money to help with an exterior facelift.
The Fox River Grove Village Board on Thursday approved a facade grant and loan for the New China restaurant, which sustained about $150,000 in damage, mainly in the kitchen, in a fire in January.
The village approached New China about updating its facade, Village Administrator Karl Warwick said.
The board approved a $43,000 grant/loan for the restaurant. The village would want the restaurant to repay 25 percent of the amount, or $10,750, over a five-year period. An interest rate is yet to be determined, Warwick said.
Whether the restaurant accepts the terms also has yet to be determined, Warwick said. The restaurant, closed since the Jan. 3 fire, is expected to reopen in May, he added.
The village has some architectural plans of what it would like its downtown to look like, and has provided that to the restaurant.
Part of the work would include replacing the small windows at the front of the restaurant with big windows, Warwick said. However, that would include tearing out the brick on the front of the building.
The proposal also calls for awnings, new signs and tuck pointing, Warwick said.
The board wants to move forward with a concept of a facade grant program, with specific details to be determined, Warwick said.
A facade grant program would be part of the village’s economic development efforts.
Warwick added that the Village Board wants to be flexible, and the grants “can vary depending on the impact of the project.”