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Planning board recommends approval for Social Kitchen & Bar outdoor enclosure pending variance or design change
Summary
The Birmingham Planning Board on Jan. 20 recommended that the City Commission approve a special land use permit and final site plan and design review for Social Kitchen & Bar at 225 East Maple, conditioned on either removing the proposed outdoor enclosure or obtaining a variance.
The Birmingham Planning Board on Jan. 20 recommended that the City Commission approve both a special land use permit and a final site plan and design review application for Social Kitchen & Bar, 225 East Maple, with conditions requiring either removal of the proposed enclosure or a variance from the Board of Zoning Appeals and compliance with city department requests.
Planning staff presented the application as an amendment limited to outdoor dining. Nick Dupuy, planning department staff, said the application keeps the restaurant’s existing indoor seating, rooftop and façade unchanged and focuses solely on replacing an existing vinyl/isinglass enclosure with an aluminum pergola-style structure, polycarbonate roof panels and magnetized marine-grade side glazing. Dupuy noted the restaurant’s existing outdoor capacity is 56 seats, a preexisting legal nonconformity under current zoning standards for bistros.
Jacob Newman, representing SkyView Detroit, described the proposed structure and materials and introduced Trenton Guthrie and Social Kitchen & Bar chief operating officer Josh Humphreys. Newman said the project uses a 25-millimeter triple-wall polycarbonate roof and marine-grade strata glass sidewalls; he added the structure’s framing will support a 50-pound-per-square-foot snow load and include internal gutters that will drain through a column.
Board members said they viewed the replacement as a marked aesthetic improvement while noting the existing outdoor seat count exceeds current ordinance limits. Daniel Sher (board member) and Robin Webb (board member) said they supported the application as an upgrade that does not increase the overall footprint or seating. Brian Williams moved to adopt the planning department report and recommend approval of the special land use permit subject to two conditions: resubmit plans without enclosures as defined in Article 9, Section 9.02 of the zoning ordinance or obtain a variance from the Board of Zoning Appeals, and comply with all city department requests. The board voted unanimously to recommend approval.
Williams then moved to recommend approval of the final site plan and design review, adopting the planning department findings and adding a third condition that site plan approval will be valid for one year from the grant date with a possible extension of up to one year per Article 7, Section 7.28 of the zoning ordinance. That motion also passed unanimously.
What happens next: Because enclosures as proposed are not permitted under current zoning, the applicant may either resubmit plans without enclosures or seek a variance from the Board of Zoning Appeals; the Planning Board’s vote is a recommendation to the City Commission, which has final authority.
Votes at a glance: Both motions carried unanimously. The board’s tally was recorded as unanimous approval; the planning staff roll call listed members present for the meeting.
