Business & Tech

VIDEO: New Downtown Northville Restaurant to Open in Summer 2012

Garage Grill & Fuel Bar has begun rebuilding its Main Street location and recently earned a clean-up grant.

Downtown Northville will soon offer another dining option on the west end of Main Street.

Brothers Mark and Bill Evasic plan to open their sometime this summer. In a recent interview with Northville Patch, the brothers talked about renovating the 1940s gas station building and about recently obtaining for the site.

According to city documents, the developers are investing $1.365 million in the project. It is expected to create 22 jobs in Northville.

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What will the building include? Mark Evasic gives some details:

  • American style dining with a variety of entrees and appetizers, including specialty pizzas and hamburgers. Seafood like ahi tuna and salmon will also be on the menu.
  • The restaurant will also feature a bar area capable of seating about 40 people.
  • The main dining room, which will overlook the intersection of Main and North Wing streets, will be able to seat about 70 people.
  • A banquet room will also be on-site for special events and other uses. It will be able to accomodate up to 80 people.
  • When weather permits, the restaurant will have outdoor seating available. They will be located around the perimeter of part of the building.
  • The design of the building, a throwback to its days as a gas station, has open doors akin to a garage. They can be lifted to create an open-air space in the restaurant.

Brownfield grant

Garage Grill & Fuel Bar has recently obtained a Brownfield clean-up grant. Previously, the building has been used as a gas station and as a dry cleaner.  Contaminants affected the soil, requiring clean-up, according to city documents. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality awarded the developers a Clean Michigan Initiative grant in the amount of $249,600.

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The city council approved earlier this month a contract with the Yeoman Group to remove soil and create a vapor barrier at the site. About 150 tons of soil will be removed, according to city documents.

The grant is mutually beneficial for the developers and the city, Bill Evasic said.

"(The state is) helping Northville turn an otherwise questionable piece of property into a good, productive piece of property that could earn more taxes for the city," he said.


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