Grosse Pointe City Council Rejects Decision to Expand Kercheval Storefront Space to Non-Retail Uses

During last week's Grosse Pointe City Council meeting, the Council voted down a proposed ordinance that would allow businesses, other than retail, to occupy ground floor space on Kercheval Avenue in the Village.

Currently, the ordinance prevents those businesses that are not retail shops, restaurants or hair salons from holding prime storefront space on the street.

The proposal was made clear in a detailed letter written by James Bellanca, manager of the Kercheval Company, a property management organization. Bellanca, who drafted the letter along with a group of landowners, said he has been trying to urge the Council for years to expand the ordinance to include commercial use space.

"If you are running a business that is a yoga studio, for instance, it cannot be on Kercheval Avenue, but instead has to be in the rear of the building or on the second floor," said Bellanca. "And, nobody wants their business to front an alley."

In early May, the Council denied a variance sought by St. John Providence Health System for the former Borders building in the Village. According to Bellanca, the proposal failed due to St. John's request for 70 percent of the building to be devoted to doctor offices with 30 percent going to retail. Though St. John proposed to have the retail portion facing Kercheval, non-retail businesses are still limited to the rear 40 percent of the building. 

Bellanca said he and many of the landowners in the Village hope to create an ordinance where 50 percent of any building could be for commercial use, not necessarily retail.

In the letter, the departures of many national and independent stores from the Village over the past 12 years, are cited. These stores include the Ambleside Gallery, JP's Hallmark, Laura Ashley, Talbot's Plus Size and Bellissima, among many more.

"It's not a question of rent; rent is not the issue," Bellanca said. "The question is that there isn't enough traffic in the Village on a day-to-day basis to support the retail."

Most sales at the Village happen during the evening and weekend hours.

"If you bring offices and other commercial uses to the Village, it drives traffic; traffic supports existing retail and supports restaurants, and when there's more support, then more retail tends to come," Bellanca adds.

Members of the Grosse Pointe City Council could not be reached for comment at this time.

Do you believe Kercheval storefront space should be expanded to non-retail use? Share your opinion in the comments below and check out the community sound board Voice of the Village Facebook page.