Capacity could soon triple at Standing Room Only, which the owner proclaims to be Canada’s smallest bar.
An application was filed with the city seeking an outdoor patio to be shared with a cafe and art gallery, all three of which can be found at 60 Ontario St. in The Ward.
“The construction would see a new raised patio deck with capacity for up to 20 guests, with planter boxes lining the deck,” states a cover letter accompanying a series of committee of adjustment requests regarding the patio. “The proposed patio would become a shared space for all three uses whereby cafe, art gallery, and bar patrons could intermingle.”
When the zoning for the bar was approved last summer, it explicitly stated that "an outdoor patio shall not be permitted for the licensed establishment."
Currently, the maximum indoor capacity at the bar is 10 people, which is the same limit applied to both the cafe and art gallery individually. The bar and art gallery have existing liquor licenses but the cafe does not.
In order for the patio plan to go ahead, owner Watir Holdings Corp. is not only asking for permission to build one in general (it’s currently prohibited by zoning rules), but to do so partially within a sight line triangle involving traffic along Arthur Street South and Ontario Street.
It’s also asking the committee to allow the patio to have 100 per cent of the indoor capacity (currently capped at 50 per cent), and that a patio be allowed within a metre of the street line.
The committee is set to consider the patio request during its June 8 meeting, which begins at 4 p.m. at city hall. People are welcome to attend in person or watch the meeting online at guelph.ca/live.
Anyone wanting to address the committee must register with the committee no later than noon on June 7. To do so, call 519-822-1260 ext. 2524 or email [email protected].
