PLEASANT PRAIRIE, Wis. – A new Cooper’s Hawk Restaurant and Winery is officially on its way to the Village of Pleasant Prairie, following unanimous approval from the Plan Commission on Monday.
The development will rise near the southwest corner of Highway 50 (75th Street) and 115th Avenue, where petitioner Steven Bersell, on behalf of property owner FRED–Northwest Lot 4 LLC, received approval for a wide-ranging set of development requests. These included a Certified Survey Map, Site and Operational Plans, a Digital Security Imaging System (DSIS) Agreement, and amendments to the Village’s zoning map, zoning text, and Comprehensive Plan.
The 20.9-acre site is being subdivided into four lots. The highlight is Lot 1—a 2.7-acre parcel that will house the new Cooper’s Hawk. The 11,100-square-foot restaurant and winery will feature outdoor seating, 163 on-site parking spaces, and is expected to employ roughly 100 full-time and 50 part-time staff. Construction is scheduled to begin later this summer, with completion targeted for mid-2026. Standard business hours will be 11:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. on weekdays, with extended evening hours on weekends. Deliveries will be limited to the morning window between 7:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Lot 2, covering 2 acres, is earmarked for future commercial development. Lot 3 will preserve 10.5 acres of existing floodplain, wetlands, and stormwater infrastructure. Lot 4, a 5.7-acre tract, will be transferred to the Village and eventually combined with adjacent conservancy land after the closure of Tax Increment District #8.
A Planned Unit Development (PUD) Overlay will allow shared access and signage between Lots 1 and 2. Zoning changes designate the restaurant parcel as B-2 (PUD), while the undeveloped parkland will be assigned PR-1. The Village also approved corresponding changes to the Comprehensive Plan, labeling the commercial lots as “Community Retail and Service Center,” and the remaining acreage as “Park, Recreation, and Open Space,” with wetland and floodplain protections remaining in place.
The DSIS Agreement, a security requirement under Village code, will be finalized ahead of construction.
The new location marks the latest expansion for the Cooper’s Hawk brand, which blends upscale dining with a full winery experience under one roof.
12 Responses
Interesting though. While this location will be very accessible and popular, there is one In Gurnee.
I would expect them to also head to Lake Geneva.
Unless the property values are too extreme.
Gurnee? Ugly location. May want to carry after dark!
First off Coopers Hawk Gurnee built in the corner of the parking lot of the old Lowe’s. The original building is now owned and used by the College of Lake County. Also known as CLC.
Lots of night time overflow parking for the restaurant which does good business there.
As for it being a bad neighborhood. Other than being just west of Waukegan it’s fine where it is.
The Gurnee location is rather nice. Waukegan is all the way on the other side of the interstate. The greenfield location which just opened is nice as well. I guess they know more than we do, 3 locations all within 30ish minutes of each other……. There is also a location in Wheeling
Gof62 comment.
One of my favorite eateries. Been to them in Grand Rapids, MI and Ashburn, VA while on business travel. Good to see Pleasant Prairie get one. That one is not already in Lake Geneva is surprising as Cooper’s menu is priced above the mid-market segment and below (scarf & barf) segments. The Grand Rapids, MI and Ashburn, VA locations (especially!) are both in high property value areas.
And one just opened in a Milwaukee suburb within the last month or two. Never heard of them, but a Milwaukee TV station was doing a public interest story on it.
This is great more places for all the people from Illinois to come clutter
I’m sure the studies have been done but how much income could we make as a state from turning I 94 into a toll road on our side of the border?
I would rather see a Wildfire Restaurant over Coopers Hawk!! Better food quality and a lot more menu selection!! Coopers Hawk is overrated, overpriced and not worth the money they charge for a meal!!!
Wildfire is fire!! Love that place.
I’ll take Cheddar’s over the description of Cooper’s Hawk
This is good news. I’m glad we won’t have to travel to Gurnee for it as that town has really went downhill the last few years.