Latest news with #BenoîtDesjardins
CBC
30-07-2025
- Business
- CBC
NCC construction to cut patio season short for courtyard restaurants in ByWard Market
Some restaurant owners in the ByWard Market are concerned about the financial impacts of a construction project that will force their patios to close early this summer. The National Capital Commission is undertaking work in the Clarendon Lane Courtyard on Sussex Dr. that it says will eliminate tripping hazards, improve universal access, update the storm water management system and preserve heritage elements. The work is expected to begin in mid-August, the Crown corporation said in a statement. "We made significant adjustments to the construction plans and timelines to reduce disruptions to this patio season and the 2026 patio season, but the fact remains that this type of work can only be done during a certain time of the year," wrote spokesperson Benoît Desjardins. All tenant entrances will be accessible and highly visible with increased signage during construction, Desjardins added. For restaurant operators, that's not much of a consolation at a time of year they say comes with high demand for outdoor dining. David Godsoe is director of food and beverage operations with E18hteen Hospitality Group, which operates five restaurants in the market. "That middle of August to the middle of September ... is basically one of our busiest periods of the year, if not our busiest period of the year," he said. "We really rely on that revenue to carry us through January, February, March, when, you know, the city becomes a bit of a ghost town." He's also concerned about what impact the work will have on indoor restaurant traffic. "Once you start a construction project, that tends to be a bit of a deterrent for guests," Godsoe said. "So, it's not like just because we lose these seats any patrons that we were going to get are just gonna magically go inside. They might avoid the market altogether." A 'shock' to restaurant operators The NCC's decision to close the courtyard patios came with little consultation, some restaurant operators say. "We got the notice a couple of weeks ago," said Vish Tyagi, general manager of Beyond the Pale Brewing Company. "Obviously, it was a bit of a shock to us." Tyagi says he was told by the NCC to pack up the restaurant's patio by August 11. Since the brewery's ByWard Market location is nestled in the courtyard without a storefront on a nearby street, Tyagi expects the patio closure will make it harder for people to find the restaurant and figure out whether it's open. "We're aware that there's going to be some challenges getting people into our door," he said. "We're more of a destination spot than we are a place that someone walks by and happens upon, right? You have to know we're here." Other restaurants are already making tough decisions in response to their patio season being cut short. Moe Alameddine owns Dark Fork, a restaurant offering dine-in-the-dark experiences indoors and silent dining outside. It employs deaf and hard-of-hearing waitstaff to take orders on the patio using sign language. But, with the patio shutting down in a few weeks, those workers will be laid off. "You should see the tears in their eyes when I told them," he said. "It's sad, it's very sad." Work to be completed in time for next patio season: NCC The restaurant operators whose businesses back onto the courtyard say they understand why upgrades are needed, but they wish they were given more timely information about the patio closures and what the courtyard redesign will eventually look like. Alameddine says he contacted the NCC asking for construction work to be delayed until the fall to lessen the financial impact on businesses. "It's a big project, but we asked them if you can just like delay it only one more month to save the jobs, to save our season," he said. In its statement to CBC, the NCC said while it understands the challenge the repairs pose, delaying the start of the work would only compromise next year's patio season. Construction in the courtyard is expected to be done next spring.
Ottawa Citizen
29-07-2025
- Business
- Ottawa Citizen
‘It just doesn't seem fair': Clarendon Courtyard patios to close early due to NCC construction
At the Clarendon Courtyard in the ByWard Market, some restaurant patios are surrounded by stone walls with cobblestone lining the ground. Tall trees cast shade upon the tables and chairs, and fairy lights are draped above. Article content But for these restaurants, patio season will end more than a month earlier than expected. Article content Article content Restaurants must clear their patios from the courtyard to make way for National Capital Commission (NCC) construction expected to begin on Aug. 11. Being made aware of the closure from a July 18 NCC letter, restaurants whose patios extend to the courtyard are now grappling with the impacts on their business and anticipated revenue losses. Article content Article content 'We recognize the challenge these essential repairs pose to our tenants,' the NCC communications adviser Benoît Desjardins wrote in a July 28 email statement. 'We made significant adjustments to the construction plans and timelines to reduce disruptions to this patio season and the 2026 patio season, but the fact remains that this type of work can only be done during a certain time of the year.' Article content Article content The scope of the project includes addressing potential safety hazards, replacing pavers, upgrading stormwater management systems, creating a universally accessible courtyard and new lighting installations, according to the letter businesses received. Article content The statement added that construction is set to begin in mid-August and be completed by spring 2026. Article content 'The pain is very big, more than you can imagine,' said Moe Alameddine, the owner of Dark Fork restaurant on the corner of the courtyard. Article content Article content Dark Fork's patio service offers patrons the opportunity to order their food in American Sign Language, while being served by a deaf waitstaff, Alameddine said. With his 42 seats in the courtyard patio getting shut down, Alameddine says he anticipates at least $50,000 in revenue losses and having to dismiss eight employees. Article content 'The NCC is a government. They should be the parents, they should take care (of us),' he said. 'I'm very disappointed.' Article content Article content Across the courtyard, Social Restaurant + Lounge general manager Jessica MacEwen says 60 per cent of the restaurant's capacity operates on the patio. The restaurant also offers its courtyard space for wedding bookings and photo opportunities. Article content 'Think low lighting, cobblestones, twinkle lights and beautiful trees. It's almost like a mini Quebec City in a corner,' MacEwen said of the area. 'It's quite picturesque.'
Ottawa Citizen
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Ottawa Citizen
Deachman: Should new housing be built on iconic Sussex Drive?
I confess I'm skeptical when I hear the National Capital Commission cite the housing crisis as a point in favour of the development of the Sussex Blocks — three mostly vacant blocks of prime Sussex Drive real estate directly across from the French Embassy and the prime minister's (vacant and gutted) one-time residence. Article content The crisis, after all, isn't about a lack of NON-affordable housing, and despite the NCC's stated practice 'to seek opportunities to include affordable units for residential or mixed-use projects on its lands,' it's hard to imagine that if your next address is 37 Sussex Drive, for instance, you'll be agonizing each morning over whether to pay the hydro bill or feed your kids breakfast. Article content Article content Article content That said, when opponents of the proposed development raise the iconic status of Sussex Drive as an important ceremonial route, which they say shouldn't be sullied by the living quarters of the (well-to-do) hoi polloi, I'm similarly left scratching my head. Ceremonial route? I can't recall many occasions when I've seen people line its sidewalks for a passing head of state, mechanical dragon or Stanley Cup parade. Are we worried that the next time French President Emmanuel Macron rolls by in a limousine, he'll look out at a four- or five-storey apartment block across from his embassy and say, 'Eww, résidents locaux'? He'll more likely still be recoiling from the sight of the late-modern brutalist eyesore known as the Lester B. Pearson Building (a.k.a. 'the sphinx'), or massaging his derrière if his journey from the airport took him along much of Bronson Avenue (a.k.a. the Pothole Promenade), or tsk-tsking the sorry state of 24 Sussex. Or all three. Article content As things stand, the land in question is zoned for development with institutional use — i.e., embassies. A new Core Area Plan that allows for a variety of uses will be submitted to the NCC's board of directors on June 19. If approved, according to NCC official Benoît Desjardins, a development plan would be created, with further public consultation. Article content The idea behind the potential development is to bring some liveliness to the area bound by Sussex Drive, Stanley Avenue, and MacKay and Thomas streets, by adding people, in the form of residents, businesses and retail. This would additionally support tourism at nearby Rideau Hall. Retail establishments that could be included — the NCC imagines cafés, restaurants and small shops as examples — would serve not just tourists, but nearby Global Affairs and National Research Council workers, as well as local residents.
