High Tops – a proposed restaurant/sports bar originally slated for the Grand Traverse Mall that’s now planned to go in next to K1 Speed at the Cherryland Center – has added a nightclub to its plans, with the entire business capable of holding just over 1,900 people. Garfield Township planning commissioners Wednesday said they believed High Tops would add to the continued revitalization of the mall property, but delayed approval until concerns are addressed over the nightclub’s impact on neighboring residents. Planning commissioners Wednesday also reviewed proposals to expand French Manor Assisted Living on LaFranier Road and to relocate Angel Care Preschool & Child Care to Church of the Living God.

High Tops
After receiving approval in May to move his liquor license from the Grand Traverse Mall to the Cherryland Center, owner Philip Beehler of planned restaurant and sports bar High Tops is seeking site plan approval to move forward in his new space next to indoor go-kart center K1 Speed. High Tops is expected to occupy the rest of the former Sears building at just over 38,000 square feet, with the facility to offer a sports bar, restaurant, and nightclub with a total capacity of just over 1,900.

All the planned uses are allowed by right in the C-P Planned Shopping Center district. That typically means plans must be approved by township officials provided they meet all the site standards. However, the site plan approval process requires that uses are “harmonious” and “compatible” with the surrounding area and minimize any adverse effects on neighbors. That provision gave planning commissioners pause Wednesday due to the planned nightclub.

While K1’s entrance is in the front of the building facing South Airport Road, High Tops would have its main entrance in the rear and be accessed by the drive near Qdoba. Staff said there was plenty of rear parking available, but worried that late hours and noise from concerts – as well as patrons coming and going in the parking lot – would be disruptive to neighbors on Woodward Avenue. Staff recommended requiring High Tops to soundproof the building, but some planning commissioners believed even that wouldn’t be enough to mitigate bass-heavy music or parking lot noise.

Part of the challenge is that K1 Speed and High Tops are not internally connected, so patrons can’t just park in the front lot and walk through K1 to get to High Tops, according to Township Planning Director John Sych. The businesses are also likely to have different hours of operation. Planning Commissioner Chris DeGood said that while High Tops seemed like a good fit for the Cherryland Center and could contribute to its ongoing revitalization, it’s a “major change” to go from a daytime retail store like Sears to a nightclub. “You can’t soundproof against that,” he said. “I’m sure it’s going to translate across that parking lot.” Planning Commissioner John Racine agreed, saying the potential impacts on neighbors by having the main entrance in the rear “really bothers” him. Planning commissioners discussed several potential solutions, including seeing if an internal hallway could be built to connect K1 and High Tops, identifying another entrance, or buffering the rear area from neighbors with a new wall and landscaping.

Beehler was not in attendance Wednesday, so planning commissioners ultimately decided to table the application and request his attendance at the next board meeting so he can address the board’s concerns and see if an acceptable solution can be reached. Sych noted that more Cherryland Center-related items will soon be coming to planning commissioners, including an application from 24/7 Golf – which offers indoor golf and pickleball – to open at the mall and a comprehensive site plan for the entire Cherryland Center that will help guide ongoing redevelopment of the property.

Senior/Child Care Proposals
French Manor Assisted Living is hoping to expand its facility on LaFranier Road from roughly 6,000 to 10,000 square feet by constructing two new additions on either side of its existing building. The expansion calls for adding new interior finishes to the existing 14 assisted living units and building 6 new assisted living units, according to project documents. Parking lot, stormwater, utility, and fire land/turnaround area improvements are also planned. Planning commissioners Wednesday held a public hearing on the project and then directed staff to prepare a findings of fact report, which they could review next month and then potentially vote on the special use permit request.

Angel Care Preschool & Child Care may have found a new home after being informed it would need to vacate its space on Hastings Street owned by the Father Fred Foundation. The organization, which is licensed to provide care for up to 48 children, must depart its space by next July and put out a community call for help earlier this year to find a new home. Township planning commissioners Wednesday agreed to schedule a public hearing for October 9 on an application for Angel Care to open a childcare center within Church of the Living God (CLG) on Birmley Road.

CLG previously collaborated on a similar proposal for Traverse City Christian School to open a childcare center in the church, but extensive fire system updates required under the proposal ultimately led to the school abandoning the plan. Angel Care indicated it may not have to meet those same requirements since it plans to have a maximum of 60 children versus the 100 planned by Traverse City Christian School. Angel Care may have to make other updates at CLG, however, such as adding a gated playground and exterior doors to some classrooms. Planning commissioners were supportive of the proposal – DeGood said community childcare was a “very important need that (Angel Care is) continuing to provide” – but cautioned the nonprofit that the township’s approval was separate from state licensing requirements. Angel Care will ultimately be responsible for ensuring it meets those requirements and doesn’t run into the same building challenges faced by Traverse City Christian School, officials said.