A look ahead at 2017: West Homewood eatery

Restaurateur Giani Respinto is projecting a September 2017 opening of Pizzeria GM, his new restaurant next to Patriot Park.

The City Council voted in October to sell its property at 165 Oxmoor Road to Respinto, who opened and operates GianMarco’s in Edgewood. 

Respinto paid $135,000 for the lot, with some incentives offsetting the cost through ad valorem and business license cost abatements and 50 percent of sales tax revenue for 10 years.

Respinto said at an Oct. 10 meeting that he expects to invest about $600,000 in the property. 

The 2,000-square-foot restaurant would have New York-style pizza by the pie, with the most expensive item being $15. Other menu items include salads, small plates, sandwiches, desserts and 20 draft beers and six draft wines on tap.

The renderings Respinto provided include two different outdoor seating areas, one specifically for the bar and one for the remainder of the restaurant, and a games area that would have space for bocce ball, horseshoes and cornhole. There would be 23 off-street parking spaces.

Respinto said he expects construction on the site to last about six months before the fall opening. The Homewood Star will continue to cover the development as Pizzeria GM’s construction gets underway.