Birmingham Athletic Club updates approved

By Dana Casadei

Major renovations are on their way to the Birmingham Athletic Club (BAC) after gaining final approval from the Bloomfield Township Board of Trustees on Monday, September 8.

The four projects approved include rebuilding the existing service station hut for food service, extending the ground-level dining patio by 23 feet, rebuilding the existing tiki bar, and converting one tennis court in the most northeastern corner to four pickleball courts. Originally, they were proposing 12 courts but after much consideration took it down to four.


Design of these renovated spaces will fit in with the club’s current aesthetic, with the renovated service station hut using the same cedar siding as the other buildings, and proposed metal project-out awning windows.

Because the BAC, located at 4033 W. Maple Road, is an existing, non-conforming use, multiple variances were needed to be approved before they moved further on the project, something that must happen every time the BAC wants to make a change of this size.

“I think it’s a win-win for the club, a win for the neighborhood,” said trustee Neal Barnett. “I think you’ve done an outstanding job.”

The approval of this site plan came with not only the requirements from township departments and the township’s landscape architect, but also three other items, all regarding the proposed pickleball court, which led to some discussion at the board of trustees meeting, much like it did at the planning commission meeting on Monday, July 21.

Those requirements include that pickleball must stop at dusk and may not be extended with artificial lighting; the club will take into consideration any expansion to the sound barrier if there are noise complaints; and that pickleball occurring on site must stop immediately, which it did back in July after the planning commission became aware that pickleball was being played on unapproved courts at the BAC.

The clanning Commission also requested that an eight foot high fencing would include a sound barrier material to help with any noise and soften the sound from the courts.

Pickleball courts will have a black acoustic fence material to provide a sound barrier, and the material will hang from the court’s protective fence. This is the side of the courts that will face the club’s neighbors to the south.

A sound study was submitted by an acoustic engineer, who worked with the township’s consultant, and found that the proposed design and courts will meet Bloomfield Township standards at the property line.

It was also noted that after that planning commission meeting, the club met with nearby neighbors and home owner associations to address their concerns.

“I was just at the corner of Oak Hills and Maple… and the traffic noise made it difficult to hear each other,” Barnett said. “So the placement of the new pickleball court is well thought out, the neighbors across the street won’t hear it. You guys have done a really well thought out job on this.”

The Board of Trustees voted in favor of the site plan request 7-0.