Sudsy Stanley Park? Complaints pour in over brew pub plan
Vancouver residents opposed to a proposed brew pub in Stanley Park say the bar would bring noise, increased alcohol consumption in a no-alcohol park, and potentially affect a nearby heron colony.
Stanley Park Brewing has applied for a 50-person liquor primary licence with an adjoining 53-person patio at the site of the former Fish House restaurant.
Maria Morlin of Stanley Park Advocates said it’s the wrong spot for a drinking establishment.
“You’d expect to see a pub on Denman or Davie, but not in a natural environment,” said Morlin, who lives in a nearby condo tower. The park is an escape from the city, she said, and the pub “would bring the city into the park.”
The Vancouver park board approved the proposal for the brew pub in November 2016. The 1920sera building has sat empty since the Fish House closed in 2015.
The proposed $4.5-million renovation includes a full-service restaurant, on-site brewing chambers, a retail sales area for growler fills, a tasting room and two outdoor patios.
The City of Vancouver is expected to hear the liquor licence application on Wednesday. A report going before council at that time said the majority of the premises would be a restaurant, with a food primary licence. The entire facility will have a maximum capacity of 250 people.
The group doesn’t object to a restaurant at the site, but says the liquor primary licence is a significant departure from the original restaurant concept.
“Based on my experience living here for seven years, there is no doubt this will lead to more open consumption than currently exists, and more late-night noise issues in the park,” said Stephen Wittman, another nearby resident.
He said the city has done a poor job consulting with the neighbourhood as many residents didn’t receive notification of the liquor licence application.
Morlin, a biology professor who has studied Stanley Park’s heron population for close to two decades, is also concerned about the impact a late-night pub could have on a nearby heron colony.
Pacific great blue herons, considered an at-risk species in B.C., have thrived at Stanley Park, but the additional noise could be too much, she said.
“Research has shown that prolonged novel sound and disturbances will cause colonies to abandon,” Morlin said.
The recommended noise buffer zone is about 60 metres, and the pub is 30 metres away, with one patio facing the tennis court and heron colony, she said. As well, residents are concerned about noise from the pub’s patio travelling to the neighbouring highrises, and the promotion of alcohol in a no-alcohol park.
“Stanley Park Brewing is making the park synonymous with beer,” Morlin said. “I feel it’s a bit of the commercialization of the park. They’re branding their beer with the park.”
Stanley Park Brewing is owned by Labatt which, in turn, is owned by beer giant Anheuser-Busch InBev. The city said it had sent out about 36 notices to property owners and managers and received 132 comments, including 106 opposed and 26 in support.