Planning board recommends approval for bistro and enclosed outdoor dining at 168 West Maple

The Birmingham City Planning Board on June 24 recommended that the City Commission approve a special land use permit and the final site plan for a proposed bistro at 168 West Maple.

Planning staff presented the application, saying the business would convert an existing food-and-drink establishment to a bistro that would serve alcoholic beverages for on-premise consumption and add outdoor dining set inside the building footprint. "They're proposing to have eight tables with I counted 30 seats total," said a planning staff presenter, describing the proposed terrace and a sliding glass ("NanaWall") separation between interior and outdoor seating.

Architect John Gardner of Luckenbach Ziegelman Architects described the design details: glass doors for visibility, awnings with a bottom height of about 10 feet, ceiling fans, lighting and planters anchored to a capped knee wall. Gardner said the planters would be planted with herbs "that will be used in the cooking process." Staff recommended approval and noted the applicant must obtain an annual outdoor-dining license and execute required contracts with the city commission.

Board members pressed staff on two technical points: whether the awning exceeded allowable sidewalk coverage and which city division verifies structural support. Planning staff confirmed the awning meets the dimensional standard and that the building division will handle structural review.

A motion to adopt the planning department findings dated June 24, 2026 (approval criteria cited under Article 7, Section 7.36 of the zoning ordinance) to recommend approval of the special land use permit was moved and seconded and passed unanimously. Separately, the board recommended approval of the final site plan and design-review application (citing Article 7, Section 7.27) by unanimous vote.

Next steps: the board's recommendation goes to the City Commission for final approval of the special land use permit and for the city to execute the outdoor-dining license. The applicant indicated construction could begin soon if approvals are secured.

Note on names/spelling: the staff presenter pronounced the project name as "Teuta" during the presentation; portions of the transcript later read "Toyota." The board record uses the presenter's pronunciation. Any official project name recorded by the City Commission will supersede this transcript spelling.