New Bars, Bistros Will Face Additional Requirements from City

New restaurants and bars in Plymouth will now have much tougher requirements if they want to get a liquor license in the city thanks to a new zoning ordinance passed Wednesday -- and that's only if the city commission decides to allow more licenses in the first place.

The new zoning provisions put into place by the Plymouth Planning Commission will not affect eateries already doing business in the city, but it will will change the process for new restaurants that hope to serve alcohol.

The revisions to the restaurant/bistro ordinance would impose a cap of 14 -- the current number of eateries serving alcohol in the city’s downtown. The new provisions also require restaurants to seek a special land use permit -- a first-ever requirement for the city.

Don Wortman, of Carlylse & Wortman, the city’s planning consultants, said the new provisions will ultimately give the city more control over restaurant and bar activity in town.

“This all came about because the city commission was concerned about the number of restaurants downtown, and police enforcement,“ Wortman said. “The special land use allows the commission to specify liquor served within a certain space from a bar, and it requires that a business plan be submitted. It’s an added layer of protection for the city."

The ordinance changes specifiy that restaurant and bar patrons must be served alcohol when seated, or in the area of defined bar. Commissioners indicated that they would like some verbiage regarding how many feet from the bar would be appropriate for serving alcohol added to the ordinance.

A cap on the number of restaurants was desired by city officials not only because of enforcement issues, but because of a dearth of parking issues and a desire to keep a mix of restaurants, offices, retailers and other businesses within the city’s downtown.

If there is a restaurant that would like to come in, or it is deemed necessary to add more restaurants and bars, the city commission would have the authority to increase the cap on eateries.

City Commissioner Ron Loiselle, who attended the meeting, said the number of eateries specified in the ordinance was determined by counting the number of restaurants already doing business downtown.

“It’s for a future commission to decide, two years from now or ten years from now, whether the cap should be raised to 15 or 16,” he said.

Restaurants that are sold or change ownership would not be asked to seek the special land use permit, Wortman said. However, those new owners would have to complete parallel processes with the Michigan Liquor Control Commission and have their license approved by the city commission.

The ordinance was approved by the planning commission 7-1, with specifications about serving alcohol near a bar to be added after Wortman completes additional research. Commissioners Meg Dooley, Tara Parks, Keith McDonald, Joseph Philips, Christopher Harden, Jim Mulhern and Conrad Schewe voted for it’s approval. Commissioner John King was absent.

Commissioner Jennifer Frey voting against it’s approval, and indicated that some of the changes made her uncomfortable.

Frey said after the meeting that she’s concerned about the special land use provision within the ordinance.

“I think this is something that other cities do not require,” she said. “It could effect us in that it would make us less competitive for new businesses. I think there’s going to be a host of unintended consequences.”

The planning commission’s approval now paves the way for the city commission to either approve, or reject, the changes. The commission will likely take up the issue at it’s next regular meeting.