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Planning commission clears Capital Grille, Axe Parlor, carnival and gas‑station plan; forwards items to city council
Summary
The Livonia Planning Commission recommended approval for a new Capital Grille restaurant’s liquor licenses, approved an axe‑throwing parlor’s liquor transfer (with site improvements), approved a Rotary carnival permit and cleared a gas‑station rebuild; each item will go to city council for final action or permitting steps.
The Livonia City Planning Commission on March 24 recommended approval on a package of business and event requests, forwarding several items to the city council and setting conditions for site and safety improvements.
Capital Grille: The commission voted to recommend that city council waive local separation requirements and allow Capital Grille to operate a Class C on‑premises liquor license and an SDM packaged‑beer/wine license at 17117 North Laurel Park Drive. Planning staff described the site as two parcels totaling about 10.27 acres with a proposed 10,000‑square‑foot restaurant and 246 indoor seats. Department correspondence (engineering, fire marshal, police, finance and treasury) raised technical items but offered no objection so long as state and city licensing, inspections and any stipulations from the Livonia Police Department are satisfied. Patrick Howe, attorney for Capital Grille, said the company has an excellent operating record and asked for the waiver so it may open in May or June.
Axe Parlor (liquor transfer): The commission approved a petition by C3 Michigan LLC to transfer a Class C liquor license to an Axe Parlor at 15970 Middlebelt Road. Applicant Shavon Rogers told the commission the business is relocating to a larger space and will continue reservation‑based lane operations and on‑lane safety rules. The commission’s approval includes conditions: council must waive the 1,000‑foot separation requirement, the license waiver applies only to the petitioner, the operation must comply with the Michigan Liquor Control Act, and inspection‑department items (including a dumpster enclosure and parking‑lot repairs) must be addressed before final permits. Commissioners asked the applicant to work with the landlord on the required site improvements.
Carnival at former Sears site: Wade Shows Inc., working with the Livonia AM Rotary Club, received planning approval to hold a carnival in the former Sears parking lot (29507 7 Mile Road) from May 18 through June 1, with hours limited to Monday–Friday 4 p.m.–11 p.m. and Saturday–Sunday noon–11 p.m. Conditions include spatial setbacks from rights of way, limits on temporary housing/storage of equipment and a required pre‑event meeting with inspection, fire and emergency‑preparedness staff.
Gas station site plan: The commission approved a site‑plan application to demolish and rebuild a gas station and convenience store at 36300 5 Mile Road, approving updated access, landscaping and facade renderings and imposing conditions (canopy height, lighting shielding, site details and submission of final plans to the inspection department). The approval is valid for one year to obtain building permits.
Votes at a glance: Capital Grille (petition 2026‑02‑06) — approving recommendation, unanimous roll call; Axe Parlor (petition 2026‑02‑09) — approving recommendation with conditions, roll call majority; Rotary carnival (petition 2026‑03‑02) — approved, unanimous; Gas‑station site plan (pending petition) — approved, unanimous majority.
What happens next: Each approval is a planning‑commission recommendation; final waivers or site‑plan permits require city council action or plan‑review permits and inspection approvals where noted.
