The owner of a well-known pub in Niagara-on-the-Lake is asking the town for permission to make its COVID-era patio a permanent fixture.
Jovie Joki, owner of the Irish Harp, and planner Dan Ramanko brought the request to the town’s general committee of the whole in September.
They’re proposing a cash-in-lieu payment to offset the parking revenue the town would lose from the three parking spots the patio currently sits on, plus three extra spots they want for the business.
In exchange, the town wants $436,000 from the Irish Harp.
The patio was first introduced in 2020 under the town’s new temporary patio program, created to help restaurants and bars survive provincial restrictions on indoor dining during the pandemic.
Ramanko, a planner with Better Neighbourhoods Inc. said under the Irish Harp’s proposal, it would convert the parking stalls at the back of the property to a permanent patio.
With the temporary patio program set to end in December, Ramanko said now is the right time to formalize the patio’s status.
NOTL council voted to shut down the temporary patio program earlier this year.
Many of these temporary patios were set up on parking spaces in Old Town, making them the subject of conversations around lost parking revenue for the town, as well as concerns about how fair the program was for NOTL’s business owners.
On top of the three spots that would be replaced with the rear patio, the Irish Harp also wants three extra parking spots, which would remain parking spots but be used by those staying in short-term rentals on the Irish Harp property.
The town quoted the pub a cash-in-lieu agreement of $436,000 to offset the lost revenue of six parking spots.
Joki told The Lake Report the pub has been “trying to work with the town for the last five years” to make the patio permanent and was originally quoted at around $300,000 for the six spots.
She said the cost of payments per parking spot has risen by $25,000 since then.
“It has gone up significantly,” she said, but added, “We are willing to pay to have permanent status.”
Joki told The Lake Report on Tuesday that the pub has applied for the cash-in-lieu parking spots but hasn’t heard back from the town. She added she’s unsure whether the quoted amount is negotiable.
During the September meeting with council, Ramanko said the temporary patio has run “without any negative impacts” since its introduction — no one has complained about the noise, lack of parking, or other issues, he said.
He argued it brings both business and social benefits, serving as a pet-friendly space that adds vibrancy to the Old Town.
