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-- Clubs vs Condos war now moving on to College St
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Clubs vs Condos war now moving on to College St
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| CONDO WARS TheStar.com - News - College St. highlights a city-wide conflict College St. highlights a city-wide conflict TORY ZIMMERMAN/TORONTO STAR When new residents move into bar areas, there's bound to be tension in the air Jul 29, 2007 04:30 AM Murray Whyte staff reporter Edney Hendrickson has close-cropped black hair, twin pierced ears, a boyish appearance, and a serious case of hot-under-the-collar. "It's a witchhunt, pure and simple," he seethes. It's Thursday night at Octopus Lounge, a low-key hotspot off College St. W. that Hendrickson owns with partner Kirk Adore. (Here, in the ahead-of-the-curve world of College St., Wednesday is the new Friday, and Thursday has been Saturday for years.) And by Hendrickson's reckoning, things are not as they should be. Three and a half years ago, when Octopus opened, it was a welcome addition to the area's bars and restaurants � a compact bo�te where the later hours would often see the entire place on its feet, dancing. Now? A different story. "I had a municipal enforcement officer drop by one night," Hendrickson says. "He basically laid it on the line: `We don't want you here. The residents don't want you here. And if we can find a way to get you out of here, we will.' It was so unprofessional, I was shocked." Hendrickson isn't the only one who feels confused. A spate of liquor licence suspensions in the past year along the busy entertainment strip � more than a dozen, all told � and the constant attentions of either inspectors from the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario or the city's noise bylaw officers have left bar and restaurant owners feeling unwelcome in their own neighbourhood. And it has become their neighbourhood as much as anyone else's. Since the '50s, when the stretch of College St. bound by Bathurst St. and Ossington Ave. was colonized by recently arrived Italian immigrants, Little Italy has changed drastically, from working class ethnic enclave to, by the early '90s, an eclectic mix of bars and eateries. Ever-increasing property pressures have prompted what some have taken to calling a showdown between the area's most recently arrived residents, many of them in new condominiums right on the busy strip, and the bar and restaurant owners that were left to proliferate before their arrival. It leaves the neighbourhood in the awkward position of potentially uprooting the very character � vibrant, non-stop social activity � that drew people here in the first place. "It really seemed like last year, they came out in full force," says Allan Thomson, who owns Sotto Voce, a stylish restaurant at Queen and Clinton Sts. Last summer, Thomson received a letter from Toronto Police Service's 14 Division, which sometimes works in concert with the AGCO and has enforcement authority. Thomson calls it a "friendly warning." "It said they were going to crack down on College St., so behave yourself," Thomson recalls. "I thought, `That's fine; we're not doing anything wrong.'" And then, Thomson got charged with overcrowding. The AGCO suspended his licence for 10 days, forcing him to close down in March. "We were maybe a few people over," Thomson shrugs. "In the past, the inspectors would come in and say, `You've got too many people on your patio,' and I'd fix it right away. No harm done. Now, they write you up on the spot. It's frustrating. We're trying to create something here that promotes the city, and this is how we're treated." It's part of what lawyer David Winer, who represents clients dealing with liquor-licence issues, calls a rash of "very overzealous enforcement of the (liquor control) act by inspectors without any discretion. And," he continues, "they do have discretion." Discretion, for example, to warn Thomson and not charge him outright. But it seems the days of discretion have passed, and no one can quite understand why. (When asked for comment, the on-duty officer at 14 Division said "there was no order to crack down on College Street.") Some speculate that the recent horror show in the so-called Entertainment District, a cluster of nightclubs near Richmond and Peter Sts., with its fights, shootings and almost nightly disruptions, has made city and provincial officials wary of another hyper-social zone spiralling out of control. "They nailed the club district hard," says the owner of a recently suspended College St. club who asked not to be named. "They can't just nail the club district." Others point to the ongoing surge of property values here, as well as the expansion of residences from adjacent streets and onto College itself, with new condos either built or being planned on some of the street's hot zones. Astra Burka, the chair of the Palmerston Area Residents Association, said the problem wasn't the influx of restaurants, but the changing character of College St. restaurants and caf�s themselves. "We used to have a lot of restaurants. Now a lot of them are becoming lounges." Particularly vexing, she says, is the elastic definition of a liquor licence is slack. "Everyone hands in applications � `Oh, we're just doing a restaurant.' And then it's lounge, lounge, lounge. There's something wrong with that picture." Whatever the case, all establishments, from late-night bars to family-oriented bistros, are feeling the pinch. Winer, who represents Hendrickson and Wayne Parent, who owns Teatro, the restaurant next door to Octopus, cites another College St. establishment that he declines to name � "a nice, family restaurant" � where an employee took down the framed liquor licence to dust the shelves behind it. An inspector was watching, waiting. As soon as the licence was no longer visibly displayed, he served the restaurant with a violation. The stories on College are numerous, and growing. Another family-oriented caf� was written up for its patio being over capacity. ("Maybe if you counted the three baby strollers, we were over capacity," scoffs the owner, who asked not to be named.) China Doll, an of-the-moment eatery and lounge, was hassled by AGCO inspectors to take down an Absolut Vodka sign, when a billboard across the street advertised Budweiser. (China Doll was later suspended for overcrowding.) Ab Campion, the AGCO's spokesperson, says mercy isn't part of an inspector's job. "We expect licencees to run their businesses within the parameters of their licence, end of story." At Teatro, those parameters have increasingly had little leeway. The establishment has been suspended twice in the past year, resulting in two separate three-week closures. Parent deals with 14 Division often, which he calls "lovely. `Keep an eye on it, keep it down' � that's their attitude. The AGCO inspectors? Relentless and unpleasant." Many bar and restaurant owners are now walking on eggshells. At Octopus, Hendrickson regularly engages a sound engineer to check the decibel level on the sidewalk outside, to make sure it's well below prescribed limits. In September, Octopus will be forced to close for 10 days, for overcrowding. "We were maybe three people over," Hendrickson shrugs. A sign on the wall reads capacity: 92. "That's the process. I get it. But we run a tight ship. There has never been one incident here � ever." Speaking of process, Hendrickson produces a thick package, dropped off by a municipal licensing officer, which he slaps on the table in front of him. It outlines the process Octopus will have to undertake in two years, when it looks to renew its business licence. The package suggests it will need a nightclub permit to operate. "They want us to have metal detectors, security guards," he laughs bitterly. But it's a moot point. The application would require the approval of local residents, who would surely vote it down � thus killing Octopus where it sits. Hendrickson looks across the street, at a bank of new condominiums that opened in the past year. "We were here three years before they even broke ground," Hendrickson says. "Isn't this part of the reason you came here in the first place? You're moving to College St. � what do you expect?" |
This city is fucking itself over BIG TIME.
I really dont want to be here anymore.
So what's stopping you from moving?
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| Originally posted by Skipper So what's stopping you from moving? |
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| Originally posted by Jayx1 This city is fucking itself over BIG TIME. I really dont want to be here anymore. |
how can you move downtown and expect it to be quiet. people miss the point, its a very simple equation. if you want quiet and boring, move to cambridge. if you want loud and exciting, live in the city. you cant have both.
it all comes down to money guys, city is doing whatever it can do so they can get out of debt and they believe this is the best way to do it.
The condo's that are being built add absolute no charachter to the area. Everyday I look out my window at work and see 2 monstrosities being built. It's so sad that the reason ppl want to live down here is because it is a trendy hip urban spot.
Its also sad that this is becoming a broken record in Toronto.
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| Originally posted by Ravist it all comes down to money guys, city is doing whatever it can do so they can get out of debt and they believe this is the best way to do it. |
The funny part is... The nightlife in areas like College St. West is what makes neighbourhoods like that so desirable...
It's been pretty much the same thing throughout Toronto's history: People start nightclubs in Run-down neighbourhoods because it's impossible to get them anywhere else in this damn city, then once the clubs revitalize the neighbourhood, condos go up and rich snobs complain about the very thing that sparked their neighbourhoods.
Toronto's tourism and entertainment industy is already failing badly - having municipal enforcement douchebags going about will only continue to ruin the reputation of this city.
theyre not thinking long term... condos are generally preferred by young professionals, not 5 member families. thats why you move to the suburbs. These younger professionals love the nightlife and by taking it away and putting up condos, it maybe good for a couple years but soon the realization that theres nothing to do at night or nothing nearby will kick in and everyone will move out
the greasy politicians dont care as long as they get their residential taxes and whatever other greasiness is going on
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| Originally posted by Jayx1 greasy greasiness |
that about sums it all up!
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| Originally posted by Time2Burn The condo's that are being built add absolute no charachter to the area. Everyday I look out my window at work and see 2 monstrosities being built. It's so sad that the reason ppl want to live down here is because it is a trendy hip urban spot. Its also sad that this is becoming a broken record in Toronto. |
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| Originally posted by Skipper Are you talking about college st specifically? There are only three condo buildings along the strip they mention in the article and they're all towards Bathurst - not even in the dense bar area further west. I stopped reading this article, well, once I read the title. There are hardly ANY condo buildings on college like there are intermingled in the entertainment district. |
harrassment more than most people even realize....
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| Originally posted by Dave Akermanis I dont think thats the issue here... The issue is that the city is harassing restauraunt, lounge and club owners - not how many condos there are or where they are located. |
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| Originally posted by Skipper Perhaps the article should have been more appropriately named, no? |
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| Originally posted by NuERA how can you move downtown and expect it to be quiet. |
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| Originally posted by Dave Akermanis I'm pretty sure the title was chosen to grab peoples attention - alot of people are familiar with the conflict in the city and the correlation between condos, political agendas, and nightclubs. I think the tagline below the title fleshes the issue out fairly well... |
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| Originally posted by Skipper The article is called "Condo Wars" when it apparently has nothing to do with condos at all? Sounds like something I'm going to spend my time reading, for sure. |
But enjoy seeing some of your favorite spots on the strip disappear...
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| Originally posted by Skipper Are you talking about college st specifically? There are only three condo buildings along the strip they mention in the article and they're all towards Bathurst - not even in the dense bar area further west. |
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| Originally posted by Time2Burn Yes. And your point is? |
There's actually a pretty interesting article written in TORONTO LIFE MAGAZINE by Denise Balkisoon called:
Party Monsters & The Toronto Club District
It explains alot of what's happening with the current 'dismemberment' of the Centralized Club District in T.O., and even talks about it's creation. It mentions how it was better when the illegal raves were happening there because at least the people running it were scared of getting caught, so they'd purposely keep everyone inside..into the wee hours of the morning...whereas the legit clubs now let everyone out around the same time all drunk and rowdy, etc...
I'd post it on here, but it's a fairly long article. I encourage whoever is interested in the current state of clubland to give it a read.
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