Restaurant development in Quidi Vidi gets green light

Council gave the thumbs-up Monday night to the development of a new restaurant in Quidi Vidi.

The proponents of the project, the owners of Mallard Cottage, wish to tear down what used to be the Flakehouse restaurant at 11 Barrow’s Road in order to erect a new one. And while six letters were received from residents with concerns, including traffic and parking, councillors say the issues have been addressed.

Coun. Tom Hann said five of the six submissions stated concerns about the slipway, traffic and the proximity to other properties.

“Staff have addressed all that. There was an issue with access to the parking lot that would interfere. The proponents have changed the entrance to the parking lot so that there is absolutely no interference at all,” Hann said.

“And I think it’s a very good project. I mean, we all know that we have been looking at the Flakehouse for a lot of years, and it’s deteriorated into what I call an eyesore, and it’s time that we fix that up. And the proponents are coming in with what I think is an excellent piece of work. It’s an excellent project to take on down there, and I think it will only revitalize and enhance the look of the village.”

Coun. Jonathan Galgay said city staff are encouraged by the land-use assessment the proponents submitted, and they see “absolutely no issue with it.”

“The positive with this is that the owners of the Mallard Cottage are investing a significant amount of money into the village. It’s going to have a huge positive impact in terms of tourism — and I know again the locals are not really keen on getting all those high volumes of people, but it also will impact their properties, and the value of their properties, and I think it will certainly be a very, very good addition to the neighbourhood.”

Traffic calming Concerns about traffic in the village aren’t new. But councillors say that when the city did a study in 2013 about traffic calming in the area, there wasn’t enough response to warrant putting measures in place.

Galgay said now that three years have passed, the city can survey the area again. Residents will soon receive a survey, and if 60 per cent of residents support traffic calming, the city will get to work on it.

“One thing to note: when you get traffic calming into Quidi Vidi village, you will be limited in terms of what you can do,” he said.

There have been internal discussions about possibilities, including restricting vehicular traffic during peak hours. Galgay said formal discussions about it can’t proceed until residents are aware of the implications.

“If you’re restricting turns and people being able to move into the village, that’s going to have an impact on the people who actually live there, so that’s the challenge.”

Hann suggested using land there for parking could also be a solution to traffic congestion.

“We’ll look at that in the long term. But let’s get the current concerns addressed with traffic and then we can move onto other things,” he said.