New Lenox Pizzeria Clears Zoning Hurdle to Pour Craft Drinks

Will County Planning and Zoning Commission | October 20, 2026

Article Summary: The Will County Board Planning and Zoning Commission on Oct. 20, 2026, recommended approval of a special use permit letting Pizza Di Farfalla take over the Hickory Creek Brewing Company space at 1333 S. Schoolhouse Road in New Lenox Township and serve liquor alongside its pizza — a use the I-1 industrial district does not otherwise allow.

Schoolhouse Road Craft Brewing Key Points:

• The permit is for a use “similar or compatible” to craft brewing and distilling, which is permitted by right in the I-1 district; ancillary liquor sales are not.
• Staff recommended approval with three conditions, including that the applicant obtain and keep a liquor license.
• The applicant projects 70 to 75 percent of gross income from food, above the 65 percent threshold that separates a restaurant from a tavern in county code.
• The Village of Frankfort declined to review the application, citing a March 2024 boundary agreement that places the site on the New Lenox side.

WILL COUNTY — The Will County Board Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2026, voted to recommend approval of a special use permit at 1333 S. Schoolhouse Road in unincorporated New Lenox Township, resolving a zoning obstacle that surfaced when an incoming pizzeria applied to remodel a brewery taproom.

The case, ZC-26-076 (S-26-038), lists Hot Spot Furniture Corporation as owner of record, Giovanni Oriente as agent and Daniel Hawkins of Berardi & Associates, LLC as attorney. Gary Briden Jr. was identified at the meeting as the owner corporation’s president. The motion to recommend approval passed on a roll call with no votes against recorded. No objectors appeared, and the agent declined to speak.

The 20.03-acre property is zoned I-1 with 695 feet of frontage on Schoolhouse Road and is a conforming parcel. It was initially developed for warehousing and industrial uses, but over the years the front portion has been leased to commercial tenants — eating and drinking establishments, a coffee shop and motorsport vehicle sales — creating what the staff report calls “a commercial strip mall on the front end of the industrial site.”

Hickory Creek Brewing Company, a craft brewer, relocated to the property in 2023. Craft breweries are permitted by right in I-1 under Section 155-7.30, and selling beverages produced at the brewery for on-site consumption is an allowed accessory use under Section 155-9.280(B).

Pizza Di Farfalla applied for a commercial remodel permit on July 20, 2026 to build the commercial kitchen a sit-down pizzeria requires. “During this review staff noticed that the proposed use of ancillary liquor sales is not allowed in I-1 district even as the restaurant is permitted by right,” the staff report states. Because the ancillary liquor is not allowed, the applicant sought a special use for a similar or compatible use to craft brewing and distilling.

Van Patten told the commission the applicant also intends to keep the video gaming operations already on site. Asked by the chairman why a permit tied to craft brewing was appropriate when no brewing will occur, Van Patten said the request is for a use “similar and compatible to craft brewing and distilling,” since brewing on site is what would otherwise permit the liquor sales. A commissioner noted that without a liquor license there can be no gaming license; Van Patten agreed that was “also part of it.”

In its own narrative, the applicant argues the concept “is centered around high quality-batch production, quality ingredients, craftsmanship, and an experience-driven approach to food and beverage service,” with pizzas made from long-fermented dough, hand-stretched and prepared on site. “Rather than operating as a traditional tavern or full-scale bar, the concept will offer a deliberately curated selection of craft beers, wines, spirits, and cocktails intended to complement the food menu,” the narrative states.

The Will County Zoning Ordinance defines a tavern or nightclub as an establishment primarily engaged in serving alcoholic liquor where prepared food and meals make up less than 65 percent of gross income. The applicant expects 70 to 75 percent of gross income from food.

Proposed hours are Monday 3 to 10 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. and Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. The business expects 15 employees and about 100 customers a day, generating an estimated 60 to 80 trips. The 65 spaces provided for the brewery exceed the 35 required for the restaurant, so no parking will be added. Schoolhouse Road carries 10,350 vehicles in average annual daily traffic.

The property lies in the Jackson Creek Watershed with a wetland at the northwest corner, and sits inside the New Lenox Facility Planning Area. The Village of New Lenox, which abuts the parcel on the east, filed no comment, as did the Village of Mokena, New Lenox Township, the New Lenox Fire Protection District and the Illinois Department of Transportation. The Village of Frankfort wrote that the site “falls on the Village of New Lenox side of the boundary agreement (west of Scheer Road)” adopted in March 2024, and that no Frankfort review is required.

The commission’s recommendation goes to the Will County Board, which acts on special use permits by ordinance; the use may not begin until the County Board acts and the required building permit and certificate of occupancy are issued.