As Maumee continues working on renovating its uptown, city officials are excited for the newest upcoming addition to the area — a restaurant on Conant Street.
“It’s not a bar, but it’s also not a heavy meal either,” said Maumee Mayor Rich Carr about the style of the new restaurant.
In a special meeting last week, city council approved a lease-to-own agreement with the owner for a building owned by the city at 422 Conant St. Details — such as the name of the new restaurant — have not been finalized, and the owner, Shawn McClellan, who also owns Levi and Lilac’s Whiskey Room in Maumee, did not return calls seeking comment.
This is exactly the type of new business the city is hoping to attract with the renovations to its uptown area, according to city officials. Patrick Burtch, city administrator, said establishing services like the new restaurant is a big reason why the city is completing these upgrades at all.
“It has a significant impact on people wanting to be in the space,” Mr. Burtch said. “We’ve already had more interest.”
Maumee doesn’t have a lot of vacant buildings, Mr. Burtch said, and officials have to work on establishing the community area it wants with somewhat a limited amount of space available.
The new restaurant will be part of the city’s designated outdoor refreshment area, and Mr. Carr believes there are plans for outdoor dining areas as well. The tentative plan that city officials have been told is for the restaurant to open by the end of the year.
“I think their goal is to move very quickly,” he said. “I know their plan is to open as soon as they possibly can.”
The building is located next to the municipal building and was originally acquired by the city to expand the municipal parking lot, Mr. Carr said.
Mr. Carr said the current plan is for the new restaurant to be more of an evening business where patrons can use the municipal parking lot once the city building closes at the end of the work day. Additional spaces in the parking lot are planned to be designated for people spending time in that area during the evening hours.
“That lot will be used by all businesses uptown,” he said.
The city’s streetscape project began earlier this year and is designed to turn that part of the city into a destination spot, not just a thruway.
New amenities include enhanced green spaces, new pedestrian walkways, and new lighting along with city park areas and new businesses. Additionally, the city plans to plant more than 1,200 trees for both the uptown and Anthony Wayne Trail projects.
First Published June 5, 2022, 1:59 p.m.
