Whitehall Liquor

January 8, 2007
Eric Gaertner
Chronicle Staff Writer

The chances of the historic, former bank building in downtown Whitehall eventually housing an Italian restaurant improved significantly with the recent approval of state legislation.

Two bills, designed to help revitalization of Michigan's downtowns, were approved last month by Gov. Jennifer Granholm, freeing up additional liquor licenses for dining and entertainment establishments in city redevelopment project areas. A liquor license was considered essential by the new owners for a restaurant to be opened in the 95-year-old building.

Workers are in the process of gutting the building's interior.

Flip Richards, who with his wife, Lisa, owns the building, said the availability of additional liquor licenses "should help."

Their business seems to be an ideal fit for one of those liquor licenses. The building, at the northwest corner of Mears Avenue and Colby Street, is in the heart of Whitehall's downtown, which is in the beginning stages of a five-year redevelopment project. As part of the city's Cool Cities Downtown Blueprint by national consultant HyettPalma, city residents voiced their desires for more nonchain restaurants in the downtown.

City Clerk Karen Helmlinger said officials have been contacted by other business owners, who own restaurants that are already open, expressing interest in a liquor license. Based on the new law, the building must have a minimum seating capacity of 50 people, and at least $75,000 must have been spent on rehabilitation over the preceding five years or have been committed for capital investment.

Prior to the new law, the Michigan Liquor Control Code called for a limited number of licenses to be distributed based on a local governmental unit's population. Whitehall had received its limit of liquor licenses under the former requirements.

The Fruitland Township couple bought the vacant building at 100 W. Colby from White Lake-area businessman Peter Damm on June 1. The former Whitehall State Bank building closed as a bank in 1967 and housed an antique shop for a time in the 1970s.

The Richardses, who will still have to apply and receive a liquor license, had also considered opening a coffee shop in the building if a liquor license was unattainable. Flip Richards said the Italian restaurant concept is more likely now.

Although the removal work prior to renovations is taking longer than anticipated, the Richardses still hope to have their restaurant open to customers this year.

"I would think by the end of '07, unless something structurally unsound is found, but I don't think that will happen," Flip Richards said. "We don't want to rush and not do it right. We want it done right."

Flip Richards said he expects renovation on the interior of the building to begin this spring. The owners are in the process of selecting and hiring an architect.