Liquor license requests under scrutiny

May 22—TRAVERSE CITY — Two liquor license applicants can move ahead after Traverse City commissioners approved them.

But a narrow vote on one and city leaders' questions about the other showed the board's building interest in revisiting a study of Traverse City's drinking culture, and how to improve it.

Commissioners on Monday voted 5-2 to show their support to the state Liquor Control Commission before the regulator makes its decision on High Five Spirits' request for an off-site tasting room at 309 West Front Street. The Petoskey-based distillery wants permits for dancing, certain types of live entertainment and early Sunday sales within a space on the ground floor of West End Lofts, application documents show.

Commissioners Jackie Anderson and Mitch Treadwell voted against, both citing their frustration that city leaders hadn't acted on several recommendations in the Healthier Drinking Culture Strategic Plan.

Anderson said the first one called for updating city ordinances and the process for granting a city license that's also required for liquor license-holders to do business.

She was disappointed that hadn't happened, and Treadwell said he similarly wanted to see action on looking at how liquor licenses are concentrated in certain corners of the city.

"I do wish to see the west end of Front Street become a little more vibrant, and a restaurant at this location would be part of that," Treadwell said. "But until we have looked at the Healthier Drinking Culture study and seen that there actually is an appetite for more liquor licenses, especially extended-hours liquor licenses, in our downtown area, I feel I have no choice but to oppose this."

The study, published in October 2021, aimed to toast the successes of the city and surrounding region's beer, wine and liquor sectors, while curbing the excesses from too much drinking. Complaints about a handful of bars on South Union Street, and drunken behavior on nearby sidewalks and alleys ranging from obnoxious to lewd to violent, prompted the deep dig into the issue.

For all the effort and money put into the study — a $100,000 grant from the Northern Michigan Regional Entity for 53 pages of reports summarizing surveys, dozens of interviews and listening sessions — city leaders haven't taken up much of the recommendations.

But there has been some action, Mayor Amy Shamroe said. She noted the study concluded at roughly the same time as lots of turmoil with city leadership changes. One recommendation — that business owners network to communicate about patrons who were "eighty-sixed" for drinking too much — is in place. And city officials did make changes to the licenses Traverse City issues for liquor license-holders to ensure the city has effective leverage over bad operators not kept in check by the Liquor Control Commission.

But the mayor agreed with Commissioner Heather Shaw: It's on the commission to set its own agenda and restart discussions on what to do next.

Shaw had questioned whether High Five Spirits' request for early Sunday sales meant all bars with the same license could open as early as 7 a.m. She asked if local governments could have any say in this — Commissioner Tim Werner noted that can be limited by zoning, although in C-4 Regional Center that's not the case.

Kayak, Bike & Brew's application for a handful of new permits to add to its location at West Front and Gillis streets passed in a 4-3 vote. The business wants to add sampling events, more outdoor seating in the former auto garage's north end, an entertainment permit and another for Sunday sales, documents show.

Anderson, Shaw and Werner voted against; Werner said he was concerned about the proximity to nearby residences. He noted a home builder on nearby Oak Street is bringing back arguments to the city Zoning Board of Appeals that the area is a party district and, therefore, the homeowner should be allowed to short-term rent the building.

Shamroe said the home builder's arguments aren't necessarily something the city has to adopt — Treadwell, a BZA member, said the board rejected similar arguments for the same property before.

Kayak, Bike & Brew's co-owner, Jeff Bensley, told commissioners that outdoor service would end at 10 p.m. out of courtesy to the neighbors, although state liquor regulators would allow it until 11 p.m. He also clarified that the business would be open to the public, whether a patron took part in a paddling or pedaling tour or not.

The city will flag its support to the Liquor Control Commission before the regulator decides on the request.

Shaw said that while she wouldn't vote against Hive Five Spirits' request, she called Monday's debates a "red flag" showing the commission needs to seriously revisit the drinking culture study.

After the meeting, Shamroe said city staff are working on a presentation on the study. Commissioner will discuss it again soon, but some special requests for agenda items prompted city staff to shift priorities. She expected a drinking culture discussion before summer's end.