ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — St. John’s council has approved Quidi Vidi Brewery’s request for a second patio off the lounge in the brewery’s tap room.
The application indicates the deck will be built on the harbour side of the property and is proposed to have the same hours of operation as the tap room – until 9 p.m. on weeknights and 11 p.m. on weekends.
City staff recommended including a clause in the approval of the patio stating a closing time of 11 p.m., but Coun. Hope Jamieson proposed the clause be amended to 10 p.m. Sunday through Thursday.
Council unanimously approved the amended application. Mayor Danny Breen was absent from the meeting, and did not vote.
While city regulations state the additional patio would mean a required extra 16 parking spaces, that requirement was waived by council because of recently added public parking in the village.
Area residents are concerned about traffic, noise and general disruption in the area as a result of the additional deck, so council held a public meeting on the application on Nov. 20.
However, after council’s decision Monday evening, area resident Sharon McCann — who has lived across from the brewery for more than 10 years — said the public meeting wasn’t fair.
“It seems rather farcical to have a public meeting for people to stand up, and half of the people at the meeting don’t live in Quidi Vidi. They’re not within earshot or view, and yet their comments were given the same weight.
“The general opinion here is that the brewery is doing fine. I’ve stated repeatedly that I’m not against the brewery per se, but I’m very much against the unbridled expansion which has taken place down there, and it is affecting everybody.”
"I’m not against the brewery per se, but I’m very much against the unbridled expansion which has taken place down there, and it is affecting everybody.” — Sharon McCann
McCann said she has requested to have decibel level checks done from her home, but no one has contacted her about it. She said the unique geological area means noise bounces off the rocks surrounding the Quidi Vidi gut and sends sounds around the harbour.
“They can say all they like about shutting down at 10 o’clock, or 11 o’clock, but if you lived at my house, there’s no taxi waiting area, people come out of the brewery after having had a fair bit to drink … they stand in that parking lot in the middle of the sound bowl, and sometimes they’re there on warm nights, they don’t want to go anywhere.”
She said she has had to go out on her deck and ask people to go home.
“The owners of the brewery don’t have to put up with this racket that they’ve created,” she said.
During the meeting, Coun. Maggie Burton, development lead, thanked the applicants for working to reduce noise for Quidi Vidi residents. A woman in the gallery could be heard laughing after Burton said that.
Council notes indicate the brewery has implemented several changes in the last year to reduce disruption to the neighbourhood, such as reducing the number of delivery trucks to diminish traffic congestion, and replacing a diesel operated reefer (refrigerator container) with an electric power supply to reduce noise.
The council notes also say the city has noise bylaws to address noise that might take place outside the brewery.
Deputy Mayor Sheilagh O’Leary said Quidi Vidi is close quarters, and it’s important to have open communication to support both area residents and existing businesses.
Randy Walsh, an outspoken critic of recent development in Quidi Vidi, said he is considering appealing the city’s approval for the second patio, and said he will ask council to review it again.
Walsh said he is concerned the approval for the patio with parking relief will set a precedent for future development in the gut to be granted with parking relief.
Jamieson addressed parking concerns during the discussion before the council vote, saying council will continue to work on the “perennial problem” of parking in Quidi Vidi.
Twitter: @juanitamercer_
