Plans for a reimagined Kowloon restaurant are shaping up, with the architecture firm hired by its owners presenting renderings of the downsized Saugus eatery to town officials.
The proposal situates a new, more modern Kowloon on the ground floor of a six-story apartment complex located where the iconic 1,200-seat restaurant known for its tiki drinks and immersive decor now stands.
New Hampshire-based firm Dennis Mires, The Architects showed sketches at a Saugus Planning Board meeting last Thursday, and town officials could approve the plans before the end of the year, partner Michael McKeown told the Globe on Wednesday.
After the proposal is approved and a building permit secured, construction on the complex at 948 Broadway along Route 1 could begin as soon as “late spring or summer” of next year, McKeown said.
“We hope to be through approvals before the end of the year,” McKeown said.
The proposal calls for two apartment buildings with 198 one-bedroom units; the ground floor would house “high-end commercial” units, the firm told the planning board.
The new Kowloon would accommodate only a fraction the current site’s capacity, with around 300 or 400 seats, McKeown said.
Although the plan could go through changes as part of the approval process, McKeown said the building’s overall design is “fairly dialed in.”
The new Kowloon restaurant will be on the ground floor of an apartment complex with nearly 200 units. Courtesy of Dennis Mires, The Architects
“There may be finessing and adjustments here and there, but this is otherwise finalized,” he said.
The interior of the new Kowloon will look like a more modern version of the original, with lots of glass and natural light, McKeown said, noting that the Wong family, which owns Kowloon, wanted the design to have a “clean aesthetic.”
To the chagrin of some fans of the pan-Asian restaurant, the building will lack the recognizable giant A frame shape.
“They wanted something modern with lots of color” and “to carry on that wonderful experience that their patrons have when they visit the restaurant,” McKeown said.
Construction will take place in phases, with a temporary restaurant opening at the site before Kowloon settles into its permanent new home. That way, the restaurant, which has employed some of its staff for decades, won’t have to close “for a single day,” McKeown said.
He said the Wong family solicited his firm after noticing their work redeveloping the roadside giant Orange Dinosaur, also along Route 1 in Saugus.
“That caught the eye of the Wong family,” McKeown said.
Claire Thornton can be reached at claire.thornton@globe.com. Follow Claire on X @claire_thornto.