Salt Wine Bar is back in business; war on fun faces temporary setback
Break out the champagne: the famous Ossington booze ban has finally been lifted. And that means that Salt Wine Bar, closed down in September for violating the ban, can reopen its doors. Indeed, the spot was bustling with dinner guests last night. Post City Magazine got the story yesterday that apparently the war against liquor licences is over:
Salt manager and co-owner William Tavares tells us that he got a call from Councillor Joe Pantalone’s office saying the moratorium was over and Salt was free to open.
Originally, the May 2009 moratorium was supposed to only last one year. However, it was held in place because of a challenge to a zoning bylaw that limited the size of new restaurants and bars to 2,400 square feet.
The four parties that opposed the bylaw -- three of which were owners of units on Ossington -- withdrew their challenge from before the Ontario Municipal Board on October 12, city planner Jeff Markowiak confirmed to PostCity.com.
This is, of course, just one battle in Toronto’s war on fun, but it’s nice to see a victory for the forces of well-lubricated social gatherings. Apparently, this is all coming as a bit of a surprise to people in the neighbourhood, with a local blogger saying, “Funny how the same way this whole mess started (without consulting the public) is how it ended (no public notice).”
• City lifts Ossington moratorium, Salt Wine Bar re-opens [Post City Magazines] • The Ossington moratorium appears to have been lifted [Blog TO] • This just in: Ossington moratorium lifted? [Ossington Village]
