Social Kitchen & Bar proposes revamped patio

By Grace Lovins

A staple restaurant in downtown Birmingham may get a new look for its outdoor dining after the city’s planning board held a pre-application discussion during the Wednesday, November 13, meeting if granted some variances from local officials.

Social Kitchen & Bar, located at 225 E. Maple Road, is looking to renovate the current outdoor dining area with a new modern design. Jacob Newman, vice president of sales with Skyview Detroit, presented to the board on behalf of Social noting that Skyview will be responsible for all aspects of constructing the platform.

Skyview Detroit designs and installs “premium outdoor living solutions,” per their website, and has worked with several well known companies including the Birdy Room inside Shinola Hotel, Salt Springs Brewery in Saline and Gilly’s in downtown Detroit.

Newman said that the new design will maintain the same size and footprint as the current structure, but they are aiming to install a custom pergola frame made of aluminum material. The new structure is proposed to have a permanent knee wall, roof and glass transom, as well as a motorized screen made of strataglass that will drop down to the knee wall.

Planning director Nick Dupuis explained to the board that there are two main issues with the application; first, the outdoor dining area is still proposed to be an enclosure which now is prohibited in the outdoor dining ordinance. Second, the bistro’s outdoor seating is 19 more than the allowed seat count under the current zoning ordinance.

Since the motorized strataglass would be considered an enclosure in the city’s ordinance, Social would be required to obtain a variance from the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) to continue with the design, which Newman says the bistro plans to do.

Board members did not deliberate the application for long given the bistro’s need to obtain a variance before moving forward, but Janelle Whipple-Boyce offered her thoughts on the space. She said she enjoyed seeing what Social has done with the alley and thinks that the new design is beautiful, especially when compared to the area as it currently sits.

Whipple-Boyce also said that she doesn’t think the board should be too concerned with Social’s seat count being greater than what’s allowed considering their good track record over their 13 years of business in the city.

Since the conversation was a pre-application discussion, no formal action was taken by the board. Acting chair Bryan Williams stated that the board will provide input to the ZBA regarding the application for the variance.