Politics & Government

Commission Approves New Bistro; Liquor License Hearing Set for South, Hamilton Room

Commissioners also concerned with date of Celebrate Birmingham Parade, especially if it means traditional basset hound finale might be canceled.

The Birmingham City Commission approved the first bistro license of 2011 Monday and, after renewing almost all Class B and Class C liquor licenses, set public hearings for and the to take a second look at the year's police activity and see how management there is dealing with problems.

The meeting was the first for , who was introduced but did not participate in an official capacity. Bruner will be up to speed and participating by the Feb. 28 meeting, he said.

Townhouse approved as first bistro in 2011

Commission approved the final site plan for Townhouse, a posh European-style bistro to be located at the corner of Martin and Pierce. Owner Jeremy Sasson said the restaurant will serve contemporary American cuisine and will be a “neighborhood staple for generations to come.”

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The bistro is the first to be approved by city commission this year. Under the 2007 bistro ordinance, only two bistro licenses may be issued by the city each year.

Designed by Ron Rea, of the Ron and Roman architecture firm, the style is posh and upscale, with all the luxury of a Parisian café. Plans for the outdoor dining space have changed since the ; the bistro will include a larger fenced-off dining area on the Martin Street sidewalk, but not a raised platform on Pierce, as was originally planned.

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Plans for the restaurant are unique, with the bistro occupying two former retail spaces on Pierce – Posh Couture and Simply Wine. The kitchen will occupy the Simply Wine location while the dining room will be on the corner. Food will be transported from kitchen to the dining room in boxes carried by restaurant staff.

Commissioners were excited about the plans, with the exception of Commissioner Stuart Sherman, who — though he voted for the plan — expressed reservations with the setup. "I see problems all over this," he said.

Public hearings set to consider problems at South, Hamilton Room

Renewing most of the city's 24 active liquor licenses wasn't an issue for commissioners Monday night, though problems were found with the applications from South Bar and Hamilton Room due to the number police calls during the past year.

The city rewews liquor licenses once a year. There are currently 29 liquor licenses in Birmingham, five of which aren't in use.

Commissioners were particularly concerned with the number of assaults at both locations, around five to six for both. "These kinds of incidents ... tend to give the city a bad name and have the potential to turn into something more dangerous," said Commissioner Tom McDaniel.

Deputy Police Chief Mark Clemence said the department isn't particularly worried about the incidents; he said none of them have been beyond the police's capability to manage. Plus, considering the high traffic going through both South and Hamilton Room on a nightly basis, Police Chief Don Studt said it's hard to say how much is too much.

"Is six (incidents) too many? Is eight too many? Is two too many? If you're the victim, one is too many," Studt said.

South and Hamilton Room will come back to a public hearing March 21, where commissioners will hear each restaurant's plans to curb incidents and police intervention in the future. If accepted, commissioners will then approve their liquor licenses.

Decision delayed on Celebrate Birmingham Parade

Commissioners decided to delay any decisions on the 2011 Celebrate Birmingham Parade to their Feb. 28 meeting due to scheduling conflicts with the proposed date, May 15.

This year's theme for Celebrate Birmingham will be the "Good Old Days," said City Clerk Laura Broski. Since the proposed date coincides with the festival in , the parade route will be reversed this year so as to begin downtown and end in , where the will host a variety of games.

The commissioners were concerned that so much is happening in one day, but especially dismayed that the parade of basset hounds, which typically serves as the parade's finale, might not happen this year because organizers are concerned about not having an acceptable place for the dogs and their owners to gather afterward.

Commisioner Sherman said the parade has traditionally been scheduled during Michigan Week. This year, he said, it just happens that they scheduled it during a "perfect storm."

Correction: The annual Basset Waddle, put on by the Michigan Basset Rescue, will not be part of the Celebrate Birmingham Parade because of the reconfiguration of the parade route and lack of suitable place for the dogs and owners to gather after the parade.


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