top of page

Social Kitchen dining renovation variance sought

:

By Grace Lovins


Popular Birmingham restaurant Social Kitchen & Bar, at 225 E. Maple, is headed to the city’s board of zoning appeals (BZA) with plans to renovate their existing outdoor dining enclosure following the Wednesday, January 22, planning board meeting at which planners approved the bistro’s final site plan on the condition that the proposed enclosure is removed from the design or a variance is granted from the BZA.


Social Kitchen & Bar originally brought the city plans to renovate their existing outdoor dining area back in November for a pre-application discussion. Jacob Newman, vice president of sales with Skyview Detroit, explained in November that the new design will maintain the same size and footprint as the current structure.


Rather than an isinglass structure, Social is looking to install a custom pergola frame made of aluminum material, a permanent knee wall, roof and glass transom and a motorized screen made of marine-grade strataglass that will drop down to the knee wall.


Per the city’s new outdoor dining ordinance, explained planning director Nick Dupuis, outdoor dining enclosures are now prohibited. Social’s existing enclosure was considered a ‘legal nonconforming use,’ until the special land use permit was reopened. Now that the restaurant has plans to renovate the space, they must come into compliance with the new ordinance or seek a variance from the BZA, which Dupuis said they are planning on doing.


Wednesday night’s discussion mirrored what was said during the November meeting, with the board agreeing the new look is an improvement but doesn’t fit the new ordinance.


“It’s a distinct improvement but it does not meet the ordinance and it doesn’t meet it in a way that we went through a long arduous process at city commission direction,” said chair Scott Clein.


“That being said for the ZBA, … it’s pretty much an existing condition, so if they found a hardship to provide [Social] a variance, I don’t know that from a planning perspective it’s changing a whole lot about this area,” he continued.


Planning board members voted unanimously, 6-0, to recommend approval of the special land use permit with the exception that Social get a variance from the BZA to have an outdoor dining enclosure or scrap the enclosure from the plans. Board members Bert Kosek and Janelle Boyce were absent from the meeting with alternate member Naseem Ramin voting in place.

PayPal ButtonPayPal Button

DOWNTOWN: Unrivaled journalism worthy of reader support

A decade ago we assembled a small but experienced and passionate group of publishing professionals all committed to producing an independent newsmagazine befitting the Birmingham/Bloomfield area that, as we like to say, has long defined the best of Oakland County. 

 

We provide a quality monthly news product unrivaled in this part of Oakland. For most in the local communities, we have arrived at your doorstep at no charge and we would like to keep it that way, so your support is important.

 

Check out our publisher’s letter to the community here.

Sign Up
Register for Downtown's newsletters to receive updates on the latest news and much more!

Thanks for submitting!

Cover_Feb2025.jpg
KathyTomb2024.jpg
RestReportsTomb.gif
BeachumNEW.gif
StdUpToHate.jpg

Downtown Newsmagazine

© 2024 by Downtown Publications, Inc.

Birmingham, Michigan 48009

248.792.6464

  • White Facebook Icon
  • Instagram
  • Threads
bottom of page