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Snap Taco owner seeks street-edge patio; planning board presses for safer separation and clearer adjacent context
Summary
At a planning-board pre-application review, Snap Taco owner Michael Lico described a proposed outdoor patio that preserves a 5-foot pedestrian path and about a dozen seats; board members urged more rigid barriers, clearer adjacent-property context and refined dimensions before formal application.
Michael Lico, owner of Snap Taco, asked the Birmingham Planning Board for feedback on a proposed outdoor dining area he said is critical to the restaurant’s bistro application and future liquor-license request.
Lico told the board the business opened in December and that the current patio concept avoids a platform in the street (which the city commission rejected) and preserves a clear pedestrian path. “We removed the barriers on the sidewalk side so that way it allows for a little bit better flow of the people walking up and down the corridor,” Lico said. He said the proposal includes roughly 12 outdoor seats, “which is well below the 65” threshold referenced under the bistro rules.
Board members congratulated the owner on the design but pressed for more detail. A committee member said the drawing should show context beyond the immediate storefront so the board can confirm the 5-foot clear path is not pinched by planters or meters and because the corridor is a high-foot-traffic area. “In the past, I’ve been very hesitant to approve ropes…because they’re movable,” the member said, urging a more rigid solution to protect diners from adjacent traffic.
Staff and members suggested alternatives to movable ropes, including fixed planters with removable wooden slats or brackets that allow seasonal removal. A board member also recommended rotating table arrangements so chair backs do not face the walkway, which can reduce encroachment.
Lico said planters on casters can be locked down and that the team can provide a fixed rendering if the board prefers. The applicant agreed to refine the layout to show north and south context, bollard attachment methods and exact clearances before returning. He said the application is expected back to the planning board in about two weeks and that the city commission review is tentatively scheduled for early May (applicant referenced May 4 or May 5 dates).
