Classic Cafe co-owner Fred Reardon literally shed tears of joy as he sat in the gallery during Monday's St. John's city council meeting.

Reardon and business partner David Heffernan attended the meeting to witness first-hand what council voted to do about the proposed Leo's Lane condo complex, which would have blocked the view of the Narrows from large windows and deck of the cafe, located on Duckworth Street.

When council voted to reject the proposal, Reardon and Heffernan were overjoyed.

"It really brought me to tears, I was so emotional and happy," Reardon told The Telegram after the meeting.

"Our customers comment on the view all the time - I see them come in and the first thing they do is look out the window and almost miss their chair as they try to sit down."

Developer Brian Babb and PHB Group architects had originally proposed an eight-storey, 12-unit condo structure, to be built east of the Journey's End hotel and backing onto the existing Cavendish Place Condominiums. In order to approve the proposal, city council would have had to rezone the area from industrial land use district to commercial central mixed zone and make discretionary amendments for the building's height and maximum floor area ration.

A public meeting was held on the proposal in November, and residents of Cavendish Place voiced their concerns the building would ruin their views. The developer changed his proposal in response to the concerns, and submitted a new plan, which reduced the number of condos from 12 units to 10 and lowering the height by five feet. The developers also added 10 on-site parking spaces to the design.

A second public meeting was held on Feb. 7, and Reardon and Heffernan - who hadn't been aware of the previous meeting - attended it, along with about 20 others. Cavendish residents still had concerns about their view, as well as possible structural and foundation damage to their building, and the Classic Cafe owners made it known that their view, an important part of the restaurant's success, would be obliterated.

"We got the report back from the architect, and it turns out that the view from the Classic Cafe would be pretty well destroyed, eliminated by this development, even at the reduced five feet," Coun. Shannie Duff, who chaired the second meeting, said Monday. "It is my feeling that since this is requiring a rezoning and it requires two separate discretionary amendments regarding the height and the (floor area ratio), that it is not fair to create a situation where a benefit given to one developer destroys or seriously negatively impacts the value of another property."

Coun. Frank Galgay, who represents the downtown area, originally agreed with the proposed development, but said he had changed his mind. He presented council with a petition opposing the condos containing more than 300 names, which had been given to him by Reardon and Heffernan.

"I did go down and I sat at the table of the Classic Cafe and I looked out and saw this beautiful view of the Narrows of St. John's," he said. "For the condominiums to go there as they were presented would have a detrimental effect on the business of the two gentlemen who own that specific business. Not only that, it would be lost to the residents of St. John's who frequent that particular restaurant.

"We're not against development - in the past year we've approved eight developments - but this one, in all conscience, I dwelled on it and mulled it over and looked at the pros and cons, and I think we're making the right decision in saving this very beautiful view of St. John's."

Excerpt from The Telegram by TARA MULLOWNEY Tuesday, February 19, 2008.