Royal Oak approves license for removable walk‑in cooler behind Owl Restaurant at 27302 Woodward

The Royal Oak City Commission on Dec. 15 approved a license agreement allowing Owl Restaurant to place a removable walk‑in cooler behind its property at 27302 Woodward Avenue, a regulatory change that will encroach four feet into the city's 14‑foot public alley but retain required clearances.

City Engineer Holly Donahue described the request and said the cooler would extend 4 feet laterally into the alley and measure 24 feet in length while preserving the required 10‑foot clearance to overhead DTE lines. Donahue said police, fire, DPS and engineering had no objections and that adjacent properties were notified.

Petitioner Joe Bongiovanni said the unit would provide additional refrigerated storage to reduce delivery frequency and better support the restaurant's operations. "Having some more storage, especially refrigerated storage, would really really help a very successful restaurant," he said, adding the cooler will be accessible from inside the building and is removable if needed.

Commissioner Gantina moved to approve the resolution authorizing the license agreement; Commissioner Herzog seconded and the motion passed by voice vote.

Donahue noted the applicant must comply with building division permitting requirements and that the unit is described as non‑permanent in the application materials.