The Whitcomb senior living center in downtown St. Joseph is seeking a liquor license.
At their regular meeting this week, St. Joseph City Commissioners were asked to approve a recommendation to the Michigan Liquor Control Commission to grant the class C license to the facility. Whitcomb Marketing Director Susan Veldman told commissioners people are aging differently these days and want more hospitality in their retirement communities.
“There have been a lot of changes in trends, I would say, over the years for senior living communities,” Veldman said. “We feel like, while we want to honor the past, we definitely want to stay current with the future.”
Veldman said the Whitcomb won’t be throwing any “ragers,” or anything. Rather, it wants to be able to offer residents a drink along with their meals.
“When they come for dinner, they would love to have a glass of wine, they would love to have a beer. When their families come to have dinner with them, we would love to be able to provide that for their families as well..”
Veldman said making the facility more hospitable in this manner would help residents make the transition into retirement more smoothly. She added with renovations currently taking place, Whitcomb owner Prabhjot Singh is committed to preserving the tower at 509 Ship Street into the future, and this is one way of keeping it successful.
Commissioners then agreed to the Whitcomb’s request and approved the recommendation.
