BERKLEY (WWJ) - A long-running dispute between Vinsetta Garage Restaurant and the city of Berkley over parking space appears to be over.
The Berkley City Council approved a plan Thursday night that settles a pending zoning lawsuit filed by the restaurant against the city in 2017.
Under the plan, Vinsetta will be allowed to use the first two of four lots they own on the north side of Oxford, behind the restaurant, to construct a parking lot with a minimum of 26 spaces.
Vinsetta will also be required to build two new houses on the two remaining lots (984 and 996 Oxford). Those new houses will draw a hard line between the commercial and residential uses in the area and is consistent with the land use previously approved on the north side of Eaton, and on the south side of Oxford where the Westborn Market is located.
Vinsetta patrons have been forced to use valet service or seek out elusive street parking for the past several years. The restaurant sued the city after it refused to rezone the area for parking.
The city issued a statement following the council meeting, saying: "Had this case not settled, further court proceedings could have resulted in maintaining the residential zoning of all four lots on Oxford, but with no new houses required and no solution to the substandard parking problem if the city prevailed, or conversely, with Vinsetta Garage winning parking zoning on all four Oxford lots plus recovering money damages against the city."
The agreement still needs final approval from a county judge.
