New Daxton Hotel receives city liquor license

The Daxton Hotel, a new luxury boutique hotel already under construction at 298 S. Old Woodward at the corner of Brown Street, received unanimous approval from the Birmingham City Commission on Monday, October 28, for a special site plan and final site plan and design review, to operate a hotel with a liquor license.

Birmingham Planning Director Jana Ecker explained the applicant for the hotel, Daxton Hotel, Woodward Brown Ventures LLC/Aparium Hotel Group, which is currently under construction, was back for a special land use permit and final site plan and design review to operate a hotel with a liquor license.

“The applicant is requesting approval to use a new Class B – Hotel Resort Economic Development license under the new ordinance allowing a hotel or movie theater to operate with a liquor license. Woodward Brown Ventures, LLC/Aparium Hotel Group is owned by several entities controlled by Mario Tricoci, Kevin Robinson and Howard Silverman,” Ecker said. “In addition to owning and operating the Daxton Hotel, all three are members of the LLC that owns/operates the Detroit Foundation Hotel and the Apparatus Room restaurant in downtown Detroit.”

She said the ordinance amendment allows transfers in of liquor licenses for hotels and movie theaters, which is how the Birmingham Theatre received its license. For a hotel, the requirement is it must have at least 100 rooms, which the Daxton does. She indicated that all of the quota Class C licenses are in use or being held by property owners, so are not available to the applicant.

A liquor license will be purchased from another municipality and transferred into Birmingham.

In updated final site plans, Ecker explained that a sit down restaurant off the main lobby will be situated along the Brown side of the hotel, along with a private dining room. On the other side, in the center of the hotel, will be a long banquet hall, fronted by a women's lounge and a men's lounge for the banquet facility.

No outdoor dining is currently proposed, Ecker said.

“The hotel's assessed value will be about 11 times the value of before they purchased the property,” she stated.

She said the applicant was proposing the whole hotel under the same liquor license so they are able to operate the restaurant, banquet facilities and have room service able to serve alcohol.