Sunday is it for Newport Shores; new project looms

Sunday, Sept. 27, will be the last day of full operations at Newport Shores, the landmark Port Washington restaurant that has for decades been the place to grab a fish fry and have a drink while enjoying the Lake Michigan shoreline, owner John Weinrich said Tuesday.

Weinrich said he will probably continue to offer take-out dinners after Sunday but said details have not been worked out yet.

Weinrich’s decision paves the way for Ansay Development’s Newport Shores project to begin. The firm has been completing some of the last things called for under the developer’s agreement before it begins work on the project, Ian McCain, Ansay’s design/construction manager, told the Plan Commission last week.

“We’re very intent to move forward on this,” he told the commission, adding that no date has been set for groundbreaking.

Newport Shores restaurant, a staple of lakefront dining, will close following a noon to 6 p.m. fundraiser for his brother-in-law Adrian Buntrock, a 47-year-old Newburg man who was diagnosed with brain cancer in August, Weinrich said.

His brother-in-law’s illness in many ways prompted his decision to close now, Weinrich said.

“I just lost all my momentum,” he said. “This isn’t what I expected.”

The pandemic, with its profound impact on restaurants, also played a part in his decision, Weinrich said.

Weinrich, a Port native who got his start in the restaurant business working in the kitchen at Smith Bros. restaurant, has operated Newport Shores since 1989, when he and his uncle Richard Lehn purchased the Lakeview Lounge on Port’s waterfront.

“That’s a long time,” Weinrich said.

Through the years, the bar and restaurant has developed a following among the city’s residents and visitors fueled not just by the food and drinks but also the scenic lakefront vistas.

But while Weinrich’s decision may seem abrupt, it isn’t unexpected. Weinrich is a partner in Ansay’s Newport Shores redevelopment plan, which revolves around and is named for the restaurant.

The plan, announced 2-1/2 years ago, will span not just the restaurant site and two parcels directly to the west owned by Weinrich but also a portion of city land just south of the restaurant.

The restaurant will be razed and a striking, modern-looking building will take its place. Ansay’s building will house 29 condominiums, office space, a store, restaurant and rooftop pub in a glassy L-shaped design.

The first floor will contain a 3,500-square-foot restaurant, with a wrap-around deck, three tenant spaces and parking for residents and workers.

The second and third floors will have 11 condominiums each, while the fourth floor will have seven residential units as well as a rooftop pub with a deck.

In preparation for the development, the city’s Plan Commission declared that portion of Jackson Street east of Lake Street surplus property. If approved by the Common Council, the northern half of the street would then be owned by the city and the southern half by Ansay.

Four easements would then be placed on the Jackson Street right of way, including parking space and public access easements, that will  give the public the right to use the roadway “as we use it today,” Bob Harris, Port’s director of planning and development, said.

Ansay plans to expand parking on the north side of the street, creating 14 public parking spaces there, and build a sidewalk that will provide access to the lakefront, McCain said.

“That sidewalk gets installed from day one,” McCain said.

The firm will maintain public access to the breakwater, even during construction, he said.

That doesn’t mean there won’t be short closures, primarily when construction materials are delivered, McCain added.

Although Ansay intends to move ahead with the project, commission member Mike Ehrlich questioned what safeguards would be in place to ensure the city could regain the street if the Newport Shores project doesn’t come to fruition.

The commission recommended to the Common Council — which will hold a public hearing before acting on the measure — that the street vacation be contingent on approval of the easement and Ansay completing a specific portion of work on the project. It will be up to Ansay and city staff to determine that point in time, commission members said.