RACINE - The City Plan Commission held a public hearing Wednesday night regarding a request for a conditional-use permit to open a restaurant that would provide entertainment in Uptown.

The commission deferred action until after the Access Corridor Development Review Committee's recommendation is made Aug. 27.

"My only goal in this whole venture is to be a good neighbor and to be a part of the solution for the city, not the problem," said Gerald Bester, who would own the business.

Three people spoke, including two supporters and Richard Kemper, 59, of Racine, who lives near the proposed location for Gerald's, 1501 Washington Ave. He was concerned the potential late weekend hours could attract trouble to the neighborhood.

"We were told we're having a restaurant in this building five? years ago and it turned out to be basically a nightclub," he told the commission. "That's something we're hoping will not happen with this."

The restaurant would serve specialty foods, provide entertainment on weekends and be an upscale restaurant Bester hopes will attract white- and blue-collar workers. He added he will try to establish relationships with corporations around the city and offer first dibs on entertainment tickets and provide networking opportunities as well as a place to host private parties. He is hoping for a grand opening in spring 2010.

"Regardless what the naysayers say, this is not a hip-hop nightclub," Bester said. "We are a restaurant that has entertainment on weekends."