High Tops – a new nightclub, sports bar, and restaurant originally planned for the Grand Traverse Mall and then the former Sears building at the Cherryland Center – now has a new space in sight. Garfield Township planning commissioners are expected to review a site plan application on May 14 from owner Philip Beehler to open High Tops instead in the former Younkers building. Other changes are also on deck for the Cherryland Center, including the property’s potential designation as a redevelopment area – a move that could allow K1 Speed and more mall businesses to obtain liquor licenses.

High Tops hopes to occupy the portion of the Younkers building not being used by Two Brothers Dog Park Cafe and Taphouse, which received township approval in December to open in approximately 7,000 square feet in the back portion of the 47,900-square-foot building. Two Brothers is slated to open later this year. Beehler’s plans for High Tops to occupy the rest of the building are similar to what he originally proposed in 2024 for the Sears space, though a “little more downsized,” according to Township Planning Director John Sych. Those plans include a nightclub/venue area with an estimated capacity of 1,300 for concerts, comedy, karaoke, and other entertainment, such as possible line dancing and a mechanical bull.

Plans also call for a sports bar with an estimated capacity of 400 featuring “multiple TVs to watch sports and pay-per-view main events, a game room with pool tables, darts, cornhole, shuffleboard, and an American food menu that has not been determined yet,” the application states. An adjacent lounge will offer “more of a relaxing feel, center fireplace with jazz/piano-type music,” according to the application. An event hall will be available for parties and special occasions. Beehler estimates investing $2-$2.5 million into the project and employing roughly 50 full and part-time employees, with planned hours of 10am-2am Monday-Saturday and 10am-midnight Sunday.

When High Tops was previously proposed for the Sears building, planning commissioners worried about the site’s rear-facing main entrance and parking area combined with plans for late hours and music, fearing the operation would be disruptive to neighbors on Woodward Avenue. That feedback appeared to contribute to the proposed move to the Younkers building, where High Tops will now be oriented toward the front entrance, Sych says. Rear access is available but could be restricted during late hours. Beehler wrote in his application that employee parking would be in the rear, “and we are trying to do a 12am lockout on the doors where you can leave but cannot enter the building after that time – both deterring guests from parking in the back.”

Beehler said the space will have sound-dampening walls and drop ceiling. Other Cherryland Center tenants have also deployed soundproofing: When Two Brothers was before the township, Traverse City Philharmonic Executive Director Dr. Kedrik Merwin said his organization welcomed the dog park as a neighbor, noting that “we have put a lot of soundproofing in our buildout and at this point aren’t even hearing airplanes as they go overhead.”

In addition to High Tops’ upcoming site plan review, other potential changes are on deck for the Cherryland Center. Township trustees Tuesday indicated their support for designating the mall as a redevelopment area for the purposes of the Michigan Liquor Control Commission (MLCC). That would make additional liquor licenses beyond the township’s normal quota available to businesses specifically within the Cherryland Center. Similar designations are also in place in the Traverse City Downtown Development Authority (DDA) district and at The Village at Grand Traverse Commons providing additional redevelopment liquor licenses to those areas.

The type of designation Garfield Township is seeking requires a certain investment level in the property over a three-year period – at least $1 million per 1,000 people in the municipality, or over $19 million in Garfield Township – which Cherryland Center has appeared to hit given the recent buildouts of the Traverse City Curling Club, TC Phil, K1 Speed, and more. Township trustees are expected to officially vote on a resolution of support to apply for the redevelopment designation before the end of May so that those investments can be counted before the three-year period expires.

If approved, K1 Speed appears next in line to apply for a liquor license. Owner Dr. Ulysses Walls wryly told trustees he originally opened the go-kart racing franchise because he has children and wondered “why don’t we have something in Traverse City that’s not about drinking.” However, after eight months in operation “we’ve lost a lot of business because we don’t have a liquor license,” Walls conceded. Other K1 Speed locations typically have them, he noted, which helps attract bachelor/bachelorette parties, birthday and holiday groups, and more. The goal isn’t for customers to “drink and drive,” he said, but rather to drive first and then have a party afterward – typically with pizza and beer or wine.

Walls said K1 is a growing business with 25-30 employees and could expand even further with a license. “It’s a very busy go-kart park, and we want to get this liquor license so we can follow the standard franchise model of serving a beer and wine to customers,” he said. “We think it will help expand our business and keep us employing people here in Traverse City.” The redevelopment designation could potentially make more licenses available that could lure additional investment to the Cherryland Center in the future, Walls said. “There’s synergy we’re trying to get going there (among the tenants),” he said. “If we’re able to attract more people, the businesses will grow and thrive.”