Sun
VANCOUVER – Residents of a downtown condominium complex are worried a new ground-floor restaurant will turn their quiet home into a noisy nighttime hotspot.
Joey’s, a restaurant chain with two other locations in the region, is set to build a third location below the condominium complex at 850 Burrard St., pending approval from city hall.
“They are going to have a huge bar that will be open seven days a week until one in the morning,” said Bill Runnals, who has lived on the fourth floor of the 10-storey complex for 19 years. “We live downtown and expect a certain amount of noise, and I have no problem with meat markets. I just don’t want one under my bedroom window.”
Runnals, 59, is a member of the complex’s strata council.
He said the residents are united in their opposition to the restaurant. The council has employed a lawyer, although it appears the residents have little say about what businesses lease space in the complex.
The complex is owned by Oxford Properties, which could not be reached for comment. The development includes three towers surrounding a plaza, creating an echo chamber that traps noise from ground floor business.
“The main thing is noise,” said Runnals, pointing to the now defunct Cafe Sette, which occupied the space for two years before closing last fall.
“When Cafe Sette was busy, we sure knew it, and they drew the same demographic that Joey’s is targeting.”
Joey’s representative Britt Innes said the restaurant was open to resident concerns.
© The Vancouver Sun 2007