Jasper Avenue bar owner says Edmonton’s patio rules will affect business

With another blanket of snowfall covering the city this late in April, Edmontonians will have to wait longer for the return of the patio season.

But for one local business, the snow isn’t the source of their frustration. 

Rob Browatzke, co-owner of Evo, is frustrated his bar won’t be allowed to build the patio he envisioned when he relocated to Jasper Avenue last year.

Last summer, while the area was taken over by construction crews, the sidewalks were being expanded.

He thought the wait would be worth it and was ready to pay the city’s new fee for a patio big enough to take up the entire patch of sidewalk in front of the bar and the walking path closer to the road.

But the city is only approving a much smaller patio which he says would be a tight squeeze for customers and employees.

“The city just really needs to get their act together, and they need to communicate clearly what their vision is,” says Browatzke.

“Everything got approved, then everything got disapproved. All of a sudden, this is not wide enough. This needs to be kept open for pedestrians, even though there’s the one on the other side of the planters. We are still going to be able to do something, but it’s going to be a lot smaller,” Browatzke continued.

Ward O-day’min City Councillor Anne Stevenson says the full-size patio wouldn’t work. When patios are built, there needs to be at least two metres unobstructed to maintain accessibility.

 Unlike other patios allowed block the whole sidewalk, this section of road on Jasper Avenue can’t be blocked to build a temporary walkway.

“We always want to be balancing the different uses of our public spaces, and I hope we can find a solution that enables a great vibrant patio while also ensuring a clear path for pedestrians,” Stevenson said, adding that she was working with Evo owners.

The City of Edmonton told CityNews that sidewalks were widened for pedestrians and travellers to improve the feeling of safety and accessibility.

But Browatzke feels the city’s planning for patios when widening the sidewalk missed the mark.

“I just don’t understand how this is leading to that. If that is the imagine jasper vision, what they’re going is contrary to that vision,” Browatzke said.