City clears the air on cigar bar plan

[El Presidente]

City clears the air on cigar bar plan

http://www.hometownlife.com/article/20110417/NEWS02/104170314

The public will breathe a little easier, knowing the Birmingham City Commission is taking extra precautions in reviewing a bistro plan for Churchill's Cigar Bar.</H1>On Monday, the commission spent about an hour reviewing the proposal before postponing any action until April 25. The commission in particular wants to make sure the establishment has an adequate ventilation system that not only provides fresh air for customers inside the bistro, but also the surrounding area.

“If we get it wrong we're going to have people walking around downtown Birmingham on a warm summer day and saying it smells like an ashtray,” Mayor Gordon Rinschler said about the pungent odor of cigar smoke.

Because it's a licensed cigar bar that's exempt from the Michigan Smoke Free Law, Churchill's would become one of the few public places in Birmingham where a customer can enjoy a meal and light up a cigar. Cigarette smoking would still be prohibited inside the establishment.

Churchill's owner Nash Zaitouna plans to relocate the business from its existing spot at 142 S. Old Woodward into a nearby storefront where Jennifer Convertibles was formerly located. The space is large enough to easily accommodate a restaurant, lounge and outdoor seating. Ron Rea was hired to do the design.

There are other questions besides ventilation the commission will need to answer when it continues the review.

Some commissioners, for example, wanted to know if the emphasis will be on the food or the cigars? Others questioned if the proposal truly meets the criteria of a bistro, since no one under 18 is allowed inside a cigar bar.

“This is not a family restaurant,” resident Dorothy Conrad said. “This is not what you talked about as a bistro.”

Resident Therese Longe, a member of the parks board, said the strength of the proposal is it will draw more adults to Birmingham, providing a possible balance to the growing number of teenagers who frequent the downtown throughout the summer.

“I think it would be wonderful and I think you should approve it,” she told the commission.

Timing is the other issue. If approved, Churchill's would be the second and final bistro allowed for 2011, as city ordinances limit the commission to approving two bistros per year. With that in mind, Commissioner Rackeline Hoff thought it made sense to table the proposal until June to see if any other proposals were going to come forward.

“At that point half the year is gone,” she said.

But a majority of the commissioners are ready to move forward on the plan. They just want to make sure that whatever is approved won't cause people to wrinkle their noses.

[CanuckSARTech]

Honestly, that all sounds level headed and fair.

I'd definitely take the drive over sometime to check them out, if/when they're approved and up and running. Sounds like a nice spot to visit.

[JohnnyC]

It may be worth a drive to visit this establishment. It is about 30 minutes from my home.