The Fingerlakes Crossing has its first full-service restaurant. Chili's Grill & Bar has made its intentions official by signing a lease to build in the Aurelius retail development, becoming the first standalone restaurant to commit to the growing retail center just west of Auburn.

The company presented to the town planning board last week but had not indicated its lease status.

There had been an agreement among shoppers and local officials, ever since Bass Pro Shops' arrival at the Fingerlakes Mall across Routes 5&20 from the Crossing, that this burgeoning retail corridor was in desperate need of a full-service restaurant.

And Chili's may not be the last.

“The bottom line has always been, when is Bass Pro going to bring in a nationally recognized restaurant?” said Joe Goethe, of the Cameron Group LLC, which owns the Fingerlakes Crossing. “We've had discussions with all of them, and we expect we may bring in a couple more.”

Chili's joins Home Depot and Quizno's Subs on the list of signed tenants at the Crossing, and the national chain restaurant expects to start construction on the 5,500-square foot restaurant by fall if it secures the needed town approvals.

Cameron officials have also confirmed it is in discussions with Kohl's about a department store in the complex, but a final lease deal has not been made.

Kohl's has, however, submitted plans to the town.

During last week's planning meeting, Aurelius officials had expressed reservations about Chili's request to install an additional pole sign at the site, saying they didn't want the area to be littered with neon signs. Plans for the entire shopping center call for shopping center entrance signs to list the tenants.

Chili's representatives said they needed to have their own sign because it is not well-known yet in this area.

The entire Fingerlakes Crossing complex is expected to have about 400,000 square feet of retail space. It has pads for three large tenants - which would include Home Depot and Kohl's - and six outparcels for restaurants, banks and smaller retailers.

Chili's is a franchise owned by Brinker International, which also owns Romano's Macaroni Grill, Maggiano's Little Italy, and On The Border.