Diner wants patio, residents scream NIMBY!!! [General]
2017 Apr 13
This is me rolling my eyes at the NIMBY's.
If you go to CBC Ottawa on Facebook, the owner of the Wellington Diner is responding to comments. The CBC article is a bit (ha!) one sided. The owner commissioned a noise study, has offered to build a higher fence, anything to apease the neighbor. And he is only open until 9:00pm. The female neighbor pictured actually subdivided her lot and built a new house right behind the Wellington Diner. Neighborhoods evolve and the reason her property values have gone up so much are because of the all the restaurants and independent shops that have opened in the area.
If you go to CBC Ottawa on Facebook, the owner of the Wellington Diner is responding to comments. The CBC article is a bit (ha!) one sided. The owner commissioned a noise study, has offered to build a higher fence, anything to apease the neighbor. And he is only open until 9:00pm. The female neighbor pictured actually subdivided her lot and built a new house right behind the Wellington Diner. Neighborhoods evolve and the reason her property values have gone up so much are because of the all the restaurants and independent shops that have opened in the area.
2017 Apr 13
The problem is that the permission if given is given to the location, not the operator. So a burger place closing at 9 PM can turn into a bar going till 2 AM. And there is nothing like the sound of garbage and breaking glass going into the dumpster under your window at 2 AM! That 40 year neighbour probably pays 8K in property tax and if the above happens, as often does, her property value will tank.
2017 Apr 14
It only takes one complaint to scuttle a patio plan (I understand in this instance there are two). I imagine it has to do with the Alcohol and Gaming commission license application for said patio that can be denied by a neighbour's complaint. If all it took to stop construction in this city was one complaint from a neighbour, then all of these massive condo towers would never happen.
2017 Apr 15
It has nothing to do with AGCO. It has to do with city rules saying you can't have a patio within a certain distance from a residential property. And this patio is closer, and he's looking for an exemption to that rule. This isn't a neighbour being pissy. This a neighbour expecting the rules to be followed.
2017 Apr 16
Restaurants often get liquor licences, patios and then watch the $$ value of the business go up. Then your little local quiet tea room all of a sudden morphs into a bar with loud music, pounding till 2 AM.
Follow the money.
If everyone moves to the burbs abandoning the area to unfettered commercial development you end up with a dead City core. Not great!
Follow the money.
If everyone moves to the burbs abandoning the area to unfettered commercial development you end up with a dead City core. Not great!
2017 Apr 16
If you are expecting a extremely quiet area, that is impossible.
I don't think restaurants even need a liquor license to be noisy.
Many places have events with music after-hours and can be quite noisy.
Even if you move to Nepean, your street can be noisy with cars that pull up to the neighbours after 2am and the whole night.
My old neighbours, not too sure what or why they always had cars stop for around 5 minutes between 2-5am and this would constantly wake me up when I was in school.
Where I am now, it seems like I am living on a construction site.
There is always construction noise, and in the winter the snow removal people always seem to send rocks towards my windows with the snow blowers.
Well, I guess some parts of the city are much more quiet
I don't think restaurants even need a liquor license to be noisy.
Many places have events with music after-hours and can be quite noisy.
Even if you move to Nepean, your street can be noisy with cars that pull up to the neighbours after 2am and the whole night.
My old neighbours, not too sure what or why they always had cars stop for around 5 minutes between 2-5am and this would constantly wake me up when I was in school.
Where I am now, it seems like I am living on a construction site.
There is always construction noise, and in the winter the snow removal people always seem to send rocks towards my windows with the snow blowers.
Well, I guess some parts of the city are much more quiet
2017 Apr 17
The same neighbour that is making a fuss is the same one who subdivided her lot and built closer to the diner, didn't live there for 40 years. It's also the same neighbour who's constantly calling bylaw for cars that are parked more than an hour along the street.
I fully support the diner's proposal, but also recognize that these things take time. Whether it's a zoning by-law amendment, minor variance, site plan application or building permit they always take longer than anticipated, but usually get approved eventually. I imagine it won't be long before this is approved. He's just lucky he doesn't have to deal with the NCC. The diner is a great addition to the community and while the owner may appear brash on social media he is a good, hard working community oriented man.
I fully support the diner's proposal, but also recognize that these things take time. Whether it's a zoning by-law amendment, minor variance, site plan application or building permit they always take longer than anticipated, but usually get approved eventually. I imagine it won't be long before this is approved. He's just lucky he doesn't have to deal with the NCC. The diner is a great addition to the community and while the owner may appear brash on social media he is a good, hard working community oriented man.
2017 Apr 17
Very few seem to understand that it is not the Diner that gets the patio, it is the piece of real estate that gets it. It increases the value significantly. Owner of the property, - the diner guy or his landlord then have a valuable asset to sell. If we do city planning through the lens of whether we like his burgers we are missing the point. There are hundreds of examples of how this has hurt neighbourhoods. West central Ottawa is a GREAT place for restaurants BECAUSE there are plenty of happy residents to come regularly. Look at hoe Elgin and the Market have been sold and reflipped and they have nowhere near the quality of restaurants they once did or Wellington does now. All of these issues are linked.
All of the same issues are in play when the ACGO gets involved and issues liquor licences based on the premises.
It is not comforting that "Whether it's a zoning by-law amendment, minor variance, site plan application or building permit they always take longer than anticipated, but usually get approved eventually. I imagine it won't be long before this is approved. "
Its true but its very bad public policy.
All of the same issues are in play when the ACGO gets involved and issues liquor licences based on the premises.
It is not comforting that "Whether it's a zoning by-law amendment, minor variance, site plan application or building permit they always take longer than anticipated, but usually get approved eventually. I imagine it won't be long before this is approved. "
Its true but its very bad public policy.
OSoloMeal
www.cbc.ca