ESCANABA – The Escanaba City Council will have two public hearings tonight regarding the application to rehabilitate what used to be Crispigna’s Restaurant at 1213 Ludington St. into an upscale cocktail lounge.

The regular meeting starts at 7 p.m. today in the council chambers, room C101 in City Hall, 410 Ludington St., Escanaba. The public hearings are scheduled early on the agenda.

The first hearing will be for consideration of establishing an Obsolete Rehabilitation District, or OPRA. Property owner Spaulding Real Estate LLC has requested the city set up the district “consisting of one or more eligible properties” for the project, the council’s agenda states.

If approved, the district would allow for partial exemption of property taxes within a specified period for certain types of property improvements done in that area under the Obsolete Properties Rehabilitation Act.

The second hearing is for public understanding of the project.

The total cost for the site rehabilitation is estimated at $761,844.45, according to the application.

“The building will be converted to a high-end martini lounge serving specialized martinis, high end cocktails and beer. It will also feature to complement the lounge, high end appetizers,” Curt Spaulding wrote in a letter in reference for the OPRA application.

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Sophie Vogelmann can be reached at 906-786-2021 or svogelmann@dailypress.net.