The East Lansing City Council will discuss Tuesday whether to give Troppo a permit to build a second-story addition.
The restaurant, 213 Ann St., is asking for a permit to build a second-story addition to the existing restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating.
At its last meeting June 26, the council decided to wait until this meeting before making a decision, allowing council members to speak with community members and Troppo owner Kris Elliott.
The decision came after some council members and community members said they were unsure of whether Troppo was a fine-dining restaurant or a bar.
Residents raised concerns that if Troppo was a bar, the increased consumption of alcohol, especially on a rooftop, would be a disturbance to those in surrounding businesses and neighborhoods.
Councilmember Beverly Baten is still uncertain of what she or the council will do about the special-use permit application.
“I’m definitely listening to the concerns from the community,” she said. “I’m listening to the opinions and concerns about alcohol.”
Baten said while she believes the owners are going to remain a fine-dining restaurant, there are still concerns about the consumption of alcohol in downtown East Lansing.
“There is concerns about the vast amount of alcohol in a small area,” she said. “We need to listen to the concerns of alcohol in the downtown.”
Jim Liesman, chairman of the Bailey Community Association, said Troppo should wait a year before applying for a special-use permit.
“They’ve only been in business for one year,” he said. “They advertise themselves as a fine dining, but they are also a bar.”
Liesman said the association would have no problem if the restaurant advertised as a fine-dining restaurant only, but he said Troppo advertises specials for beer.
Liesman, who plans on attending Tuesday’s council meeting, said he hopes the council denies Troppo’s request.
He said if the restaurant proves itself as a fine-dining restaurant after a year, the association will not have a problem with the addition.
East Lansing resident Kim Thompson said he feels Troppo is a little too fancy for East Lansing, and it doesn’t fit in with a university-type atmosphere.
Thompson said if the second-story addition were approved, he would frequent the restaurant more. He also said the addition would not cause problems and would attract more students.
“I think it’s a good idea to have an open dining area on the roof,” he said. “The city council is trying to make things more upscale and gentile, while trying to attract less students.”
State News staff writer Ryan Wallace contributed to this report.
