Waterfront Bar & Grill buys more time before being kicked out of Lansing City Market

LANSING — The Waterfront Bar & Grill will remain open for business at the Lansing City Market — at least until mid-July.

Court filings bought the Waterfront Bar more time at the market, although the business lost recent rounds in its legal battle to stay at the city-owned property.

The Waterfront Bar is the only business still operating at the market building after City Council slashed Lansing's subsidy to the venue. Council members said the struggling City Market, which lost its federal farmers' market designation in 2016, had strayed from its purpose as an affordable source of locally grown food. 

Lansing Mayor Andy Schor eventually hopes to attract a new tenant to the property along the eastern bank of the Grand River, but for now the market's future is unclear.

"We were confident in our legal position from the beginning, but everything continues to be delayed," Schor said. "It's too bad because we were hoping to have someone in there by this summer and it doesn't look like that's going to happen."

Waterfront loses recent rounds in legal battle

The Waterfront Bar sued the Lansing Entertainment and Public Facilities Authority last year after being told to leave the market by August 2018. LEPFA is a taxpayer-funded entity that manages entertainment venues on the city's behalf.

The Waterfront's owners argued LEPFA failed to honor a contractual clause, giving the restaurant the option to renew its lease every few years. Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Joyce Draganchuk found that clause ambiguous but determined LEPFA nonetheless had the right to boot the restaurant over health code violations and late rent payment.

The Waterfront Bar challenged Draganchuck's ruling, but ended up losing again when a three-judge panel shot down the restaurant's appeal in April.

The riverfront restaurant asked the Michigan Court of Appeals to reconsider, but the appeals court this month again rejected the business' request. 

The latest motion, however, triggered a 42-day window during which time the business could attempt to take its case to the Michigan Supreme Court. That means LEPFA can't evict the restaurant until at least mid-July.

The plan is to keep the restaurant open during that time, Patrice Drainville, the Waterfront's manager and vice president, confirmed.

Restaurant eyes REO Town location

The Waterfront Bar has been paying rent to LEPFA while the civil case is ongoing. The restaurant's monthly rent is $5,414 for 4,618 square feet of indoor and outdoor space, according to a lease obtained in 2018 via a Freedom of Information Act request to LEPFA.

Although the Waterfront Bar still argues LEPFA had no right to boot the restaurant from the City Market, Drainville acknowledged the business is open to finding a new location.

Scott Simmons, the Waterfront's owner, has a liquor license application pending through the city for property he owns at 419 Spring St., near the river trail in REO Town.

"We're willing to work with the city," Drainville said. "It would require substantial financial investment for us to relocate, though."

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Contact Sarah Lehr at (517) 377-1056 or slehr@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @SarahGLehr. 

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