Bell Bistro expanded outdoor dining approved

By Grace Lovins

A unique outdoor dining area proposed by Bell Bistro, 185 N. Old Woodward, that would blend the bistro’s dining area with a neighboring business, Paris Baguette, was approved by the Birmingham City Commission during the Monday, June 23, meeting, allowing Bell Bistro to expand its outdoor dining from its previous four seats to 22 seats.

Planning director Nick Dupuis explained that the proposal takes advantage of a bump-out that was created during the recent reconstruction of North Old Woodward. Bell Bistro’s neighbor, Paris Baguette, has already been taking advantage of the space for their outdoor dining area, he said.

Per the plans, Bell Bistro would have outdoor dining next to, and nearly blended with, Paris Baguette’s current outdoor dining set up and partially in front of Paris Baguette’s storefront. The bistro’s portion of the seating would be enclosed—a requirement for restaurants that serve alcohol—and consist of 22 seats. The city’s ordinance allows restaurants to expand their outdoor dining past their own storefront as long as written permission from the adjacent property owner is submitted.

Randy Dickow, owner of Bell Bistro, said the plans resulted from months of discussion and collaboration with city staff as well as Paris Baguette. He said the reconstruction put the bistro in a tight spot when it came to expanding their outdoor dining, but he feels the bump-out was meant for something like their proposal.

Commissioner Jason Emerine said this plan suits the vision that the city had before the outdoor dining ordinance. “This is exactly what the planning board wanted when we crafted the ordinance.This is exactly what we want as a commission…” he said.

The commission ultimately voted unanimously, 7-0, to approve the plans. Paris Baguette will also have to amend the site plan with the city to reflect the change, which Dupuis said could be handled administratively.