Put a cork in ByWard Market bar sprawl, councillor asks AGCO

The city councillor who represents Ottawa's ByWardMarket is appealing to the province to limit serving hours and prevent the area from becominglittle more than a hotspot for late-night partiers.

Coun. Mathieu Fleuryworries the proliferation of bars will squeeze retailers out of the popular downtown destination, creatingan unsafe environment at night.

"You don't want a corridor where nothing is going on in the daytime,"Fleurysaid.

Clarence Street in particular has become "nightclub row," he said.

The city has been trying to limit the number of bars and nightclubs in the area for years, but any solution seems to be outside the municipality's reach, he said.

Restaurants morphing into bars

Part of the problem is that restaurants are issued the same licence as bars by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO), leading them to lean on alcohol sales after dinner hours.

While licensed restaurants are allowed to serve liquor, itcan't be their primary business. However the distinction is so blurry some Ontario cities have given up trying to differentiate. In Toronto and Hamilton, bars and restaurants are zoned as one and the same.

Ten restaurants in the ByWardMarket market are currently under investigation for breaking the rules, but catching them in the act is tricky.

Even if bylaw officers find the restaurantsrelying on liquor sales, infractionscan take years to process, and the establishments remain open in the meantime.

Fleurywants the AGCOto consider slapping restrictions onliquor licencesissued to restaurants, including limitedserving hours that wouldprevent them from transforming into bars in the wee hours.

Fleury plans to meet with the AGCO's CEO and the mayor's office to try to come up with a solution.

Don't blame restaurants

People in the restaurant industry say there's good reason to stay open late.

"We found that there was a hole in the market," said Eleanor Quesnel,event coordinator for Social, which has operated as a restaurant and lounge for 18 years.

The restaurant transforms into a lounge with a DJ and stays open until until 2 a.m.Friday and Saturday nights.

"People want to stay out later and have drinks, but not necessarily in a bar or club atmosphere," Quesnel said.

Even if the AGCO sides with Fleury, it won't save retail in the market, said restaurateur Steve Monuk, a partner inseveral York Street restaurants including Sens House and Lowertown Brewery. He said he tried to rent retail space as a landlord, but found it difficult.

"Retail is very hard in brick and mortar stores now," he said.