Thanks to several progressive and like-minded business owners on the east side of Main Street in St. Joseph, the dream of the city’s latest Master Plan to see increased activity, entertainment, and improvements there continues to gain momentum, with the blessing of the St. Joseph City Commission.
The strong success of businesses like 221 Main and Silver Harbor Brewing Company, who were green-lighted by the City Commission last summer to create a social district they named The Pleasant Street Plaza will gain even more momentum with the impending arrival of The Market, a mixed use, year-round marketplace featuring multiple vendors at 301 Main Street this spring or summer.
One of the key vendors there is the forthcoming new Community Tap, owned by Kelly Vega who approached the City Commission tonight to gain approval for a couple of sidewalk tabletops outside of her space in that new market. She was granted approval for a new “patio” that would be accessed after entering the building and walking through an overhead garage door. There will be no outdoor entrance or exit from the patio to the street. The patio will feature a couple of tables placed on the sidewalk there, still leaving plenty of sidewalk clearance meeting ADA regulations.
Meanwhile, across the street at Silver Harbor Brewing Company, business partner Mike Gross, one of three co-owners there, was on the agenda for a couple of approvals, one for Silver Harbor Brewing itself, and the other for the upcoming Silver Harbor Brewing Company Event Venue next door.
Gross and his team sought renewal of their three year agreement allowing for fenced in sidewalk seating at 721 Pleasant Street, but also garnered approval to install winter weather igloos on that space during the off season. They had hope to be able to do that this winter, but like many other restaurateurs who out-stripped supplies, were unable to find the igloos that they wanted on the open market. Instead, they will hire out special construction of two 8-foot-by-8-foot structures with metal “horse wire” hoops connected to 2×4-wood framings, and clear vinyl coverage. Each of the special igloos would be capable of seating for six at special wood tables with infrared heaters and outdoor patio string-lighting.
Commissioners appreciated the “cool look” of the more unique structures and offered unanimous approval to extend the outdoor seating vendor license for three years, with permission to keep the exterior fencing up year round and placement of the igloos during the cold weather season for additional outdoor capacity for Silver Harbor.
Next door, the planned Silver Harbor Brewing Company Event Venue at 216 Court Street will replace an overhead garage-door with a “grand entrance” set of doors to be used only at the very beginning of each ceremonial event held there, and otherwise remain closed with a separate entry with a vestibule for guests to arrive for events. Gross and his partners from Silver Harbor requested permission for an 18-foot long awning that would extended over the sidewalk by about 4-feet, at a height of 10-ft 4-inches from sidewalk level. The commission gave the okay for that new awning, contingent upon the curb-cut driveway ramp that currently leads to the overhead door being replaced by a level sidewalk and full-curb when the new doors and awning are installed.
That new event venue has an approved capacity of just over 300 people, but Gross told the City Commission that they will self-limit to a 250 person capacity by their own choice.
All of the new changes drew the admiration of the Commission and comments from Mayor Mike Garey who was pleased that those business enterprises continue to attract and entertain residents and visitors alike to the east of Main sector of the city, just as had been hoped for in the city’s Master Plan.
The photo at the top of this story shows the architectural rendering of the entrance awning proposed for Silver Harbor Brewing’s Event Venue.
