EDGEWATER — A new bar and restaurant could replace the now-closed St. Andrew's Inn on North Broadway as soon as this summer, adding to growing excitement over the area's development, said the building's broker.
"It’s gotten a lot of interest," said broker Joe Padorr of 5938 North Broadway. "The lack of other options there make it a really ideal opportunity for a good operator."
Padorr, of Seneca Real Estate Advisors, said he was drafting a lease for a group of restaurateurs who were putting the "final touches" on a concept for a new bar and restaurant.
The broker wouldn't disclose the names of the prospective tenants until a contract was finalized, which could be within 30 days.
He expects the new spot to open by early summer.
The group doesn't currently operate a restaurant but had been in the business for 30 years with locations in Greektown and the suburbs, Padorr said.
"My feeling is that they will be very successful in that venture," he said.
St. Andrew's Inn, which was also a bar and restaurant, closed several times in the past few years and never reopened after it closed last year.
Owner Julius Lamar didn't respond to a request for comment. The Edgewater Chamber of Commerce "hasn't had much luck getting a hold of" him for the past year, said chamber spokeswoman Ally Brisbin.
Padorr said a business in that location would add to the excitement building around North Broadway developments, including the recent announcement that Whole Foods would be opening a new store in place of a former Dominick's just down the street.
Seneca Real Estate also manages the former Broadway Bank building at 5960 North Broadway. Padorr said the MB Financial branch there would soon be moving into its new building less than a block away.
He said several national chains had expressed interest in taking the bank's place.
