Famous Burger presents million-dollar project in Plymouth
PLYMOUTH – A restaurant owner wants to bring his hamburger joint downtown, but city planners say parking and other issues must be resolved before giving the project the green light.
Famous Hamburger, with locations in Canton and Dearborn, is working on plans for a new store at 630 S. Main St., where a massage parlor currently stands.
Famous Hamburger offers a fast-casual menu of burgers, wraps, salads, chicken and shakes, as well as sides like mac and cheese bites, loaded tots, mozzarella sticks and more.
The company is currently undergoing a branding change and hopes that the new Plymouth branch will be the first to showcase the new look.
Owner Moe Hider presented plans for the Plymouth site at a July 10 meeting of the city’s Planning Commission, noting that he is in the due diligence process and working quickly to meet deadlines.
“We want to do business in the city,” Hider said. “We’ve spent a lot of money on architectural plans and made some down payments on the building. It’s a multi-million dollar project.”
To provide enough parking, as required by city ordinance, Hider said he worked with a neighboring business to secure two additional spaces, as well as permission to use all of the spaces when the neighboring business is closed.
Planning commissioners were concerned about the details of a letter describing the shared parking spaces and unsure whether the arrangement would hold up in the long run, pointing out that the company would need to negotiate a more solid agreement or a variance from the city’s ZBA.
Commissioners also had concerns about whether floor plans, site access, lighting and other aspects complied with city ordinance.
Commission Vice Chairman Scott Silvers proposed a conditional approval of the site plan, contingent on regulatory approval once those conditions were met by the company, but the motion was defeated by a vote of 4 to 1.
“I think the business is great for this site,” said Commissioner Joe Hawthorn, who voted against the conditional approval. “There’s a lot on that list, and in the past (companies) have said, come back to us next month and get everything sorted out, then it’ll be a lot easier when we pass it on. That’s nothing against the project, I think the project is great … I just think it’s flawed enough that I don’t feel comfortable.”
Commissioner Hollie Saraswat agreed and also voted against the approval.
“Our duty of care is to make sure things run as smoothly as possible within the city, not to help businesses meet their schedule.”
Hitler announced that he would present revised plans and appear before the commission again in August.
Reporter Laura Colvin covers local news from Canton, Plymouth and Northville. Contact her at [email protected].
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