16 hours ago
Glass half-full: Bedford highway beer garden reopens at reduced capacity
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A new beer garden on the Bedford Highway has reopened after having to close temporarily for failing to meet parking regulations.
The Bedford Beer Garden initially opened for a weekend in late June. But it closed when the Halifax Regional Municipality determined it didn't have enough parking spaces.
The beer garden, located in a largely empty gravel lot along the highway, has been reduced in size by 100 square feet in order to require fewer parking spaces under its municipal permit.
"We had to compromise, find that middle ground," said co-owner Tony Makhoul.
The outdoor bar reopened on Friday to a large turnout, Makhoul said, and he's expecting a busy summer after several "ups and downs" while trying to open.
He said he's optimistic he'll be able to continue to work with the regional municipality to fully open the beer garden. But he also believes the municipality can help by removing barriers for businesses outside the downtown core.
"Downtown is completely exempt from the same rules we were held to here when it comes to parking and other things," he said.
There aren't many beer gardens outside of downtown Halifax. With areas like Bedford growing in population, people would prefer to have the same amenities, Makhoul said.
Rules are different for a reason
Jean St-Amand, the councillor for Bedford-Wentworth, said he's pleased the business and municipality were able to reach a compromise.
St-Amand said he's open to asking municipal staff to consider changes to municipal bylaws, but the rules are different in the suburbs because people still rely more on personal vehicles to get around.
"There are some [people] in Bedford that will readily walk to a beer garden, but I went down to the beer garden on Friday to check it out on its opening day and the parking lot was absolutely jammed," he said.
Regional council wants residents to be less dependent on vehicles throughout the municipality. But it takes time to improve the public transit system and build infrastructure, St-Amand said.
"That's something that we can't see change overnight," he said.
