Jameson's landlord wants to set the record straight

BRIGHTON —A downtown building owner in Brighton says news of Jameson's Irish Pub and Grill's closure left people with the wrong impression.

Eric Siegel of EDS Investments — whose family owns the building at 110 E. Grand River Ave. — said "the notion that we kicked Jameson’s out of the building has somehow circulated the market."

"Jameson’s voluntarily elected to not renew the lease," Siegel said. "Further, they had 15 years of options at below-market rents."

Siegel said Tony Kasab informed him in January by email the restaurant wouldn't be renewing the lease.

A couple months ago, Siegel said, Kasab asked him to lower the rent or allow the business to buy the building, but Siegel declined.

He said some locals got the impression they tried to raise rent, which he said isn't true.

The Kasabs have not responded to multiple requests for comment.

The pub closed Sunday, June 30, following a social post from Tony and Heidi Kasab's announcing the decision.

"We tried to negotiate a new lease but the owner of the building has decided to go in another direction," they wrote. "We are both deeply saddened by this turn of events and want to thank you for your patronage over these past five years. Many dear friendships were formed and many wonderful memories made — all will be remembered and cherished."

In his email to Siegel, supplied to The Daily, Tony Kasab said he would try to sell the business before June and referenced frustrations with the city of Brighton.

"The city ... just does not want to provide the necessary parking or etc. to help the downtown businesses to prosper," he wrote.

The city recently lost 61 public parking spaces after a development firm purchased land the city's DDA had leased for parking, as well as the former site of a Fifth Third Bank and an unpaved lot off Hyne Street.

To offset the loss of spaces, the DDA approved a lease with Preview Properties and established 44 slots at the northwest corner of E. St. Paul Street and N. East Street. The city has also discussed other ways of increasing parking, including a potential parking structure, improving existing gravel lots, and expanding parking on land off Center Street.

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What's coming next to the former Jameson's building? It's not clear yet.

"We've had a lot of different proposals for different uses," Siegel told The Daily. "We're trying to sort through that and see what's the best fit for us and for downtown Brighton. I'm not sure restaurant/bar is the best use."

— Contact reporter Jennifer Eberbach at jeberbach@livingstondaily.com.