Motorists are advised that snow removal and/or street widening operations are in effect tonight. Beginning at 12:30 am and continuing until 7:30 am, Wednesday, February 27, 2008 snow will be removed or plowed on the following # streets.

1. Duckworth Street
2. Bond Street
3. Prescott Street
4. George Street (Springdale Street to Waldegrave Street)

All vehicles must be removed from the streets noted during this time period. Any vehicles impeding the operation will be removed and impounded at the owner's expense. The impounding fee is $107.35 plus $3.00 for each day the vehicle is held in storage.

Motorists are advised that snow removal and/or street widening operations are in effect tonight. Beginning at 12:30 am and continuing until 7:30 am, Tuesday, February 26, 2008 snow will be removed or plowed on the following 4 streets.
1. Water Street
2. New Gower Street
3. Queen Street
4. George Street (Queen Street to Water Street)

All vehicles must be removed from the streets noted during this time period. Any vehicles impeding the operation will be removed and impounded at the owner's expense. The impounding fee is $107.35 plus $3.00 for each day the vehicle is held in storage.

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.

For the second time in less than a month, St. John's city council has given its blessings to a bid to build a new hotel.

Steele Hotels plans to erect an 85-room hotel on a plot of vacant land on the west end of Water Street, and near the existing Delta Hotel on New Gower Street.

Coun. Shannie Duff said a hotel proposed for Water Street will not impede anyone's views. Council gave tentative approval at its regular meeting on Monday evening to the proposal, even though the 23-metre height is about eight metres taller than the city's regulations normally permit.

Coun. Shannie Duff said council decided to use its discretionary powers on this project for a number of reasons.

"This particular development is in a section of Water Street which has a very wide street and is fronting on the [Newfoundland] Dockyard property," Duff said.

"So … you are not impacting on any view, because directly to the north is the Delta Hotel and the big tall office building [at] 100 New Gower St."

St. John's has tight restrictions on heights for developments and renovations across much of downtown St. John's, to protect the historic character of the city but also to protect views from the downtown area's sloping hills.

The project's proposed height, Duff said, is higher than normal in part because Steele Hotels has incorpoated ground-level parking at the site.

The Newfoundland and Labrador legislature must approve two amendments to the City of St. John's Act before council can vote on final approval.

In late January, council approved a boutique hotel planned for an area of land between Duckworth Street and Henry Street.

Excerpt CBC Radio, Tuesday, February 12, 2008

St. John's City Hall is expanding and the city has bought a row of buildings on New Gower Street to accommodate it. The City recently purchased the properties between Adelaide and Queen streets, including the former Conway Computers, Gosse's Tavern and the Dogs Rugby Club sites.

An agreement to purchase the former Newfoundland Stamps, Coins, Documents shop has also been reached. The small patch of open space on the corner of New Gower and Queen streets already belong to the city.

Assessments moving to former computer store.

While the old tavern and coin shop will be torn down and the lots turned into green space, the computer store will be renovated to make room for the city's assessments department, currently located in the city's annex building on Adelaide Street.

The Traffic Enforcement division, which is on the first floor of the same building but cramped for space, will expand to the second floor. The rugby club building will remain empty for now.

"We believe that has the potential for future office space, but we don't have any particular city offices going there at the present," said city solicitor Ron Penney. "The main reason is to have that land banked for future possible expansion."

Coun. Art Puddister said the idea to purchase the properties came from city staff. "It made a lot of sense," he said. "They're on New Gower Street and close to City Hall, so it's an ideal fit."

The city already had the funds available to buy the buildings, thanks to a stand-alone fund established for that purpose. "We have a special fund at city hall, when we buy property and sell property, and it kind of stands alone," Puddister explained. "If we have a piece of land and we decide to sell it to a developer, we sell it at fair market value and (the money) goes into a self-supporting fund."

Excerpt The Telegram, Thursday, February 7, 2008 by Tara Mullowney

The Anna Templeton Centre for Craft, Art and Design in St. John's has won a major award at an international show.

In Halifax Saturday, it received the Atlantic Canada Craft Industry Leader Award of Excellence. The award recognizes an individual, organization or company that has shown superior leadership, excellence in the development of quality crafts or giftware.

Recipients are also to have made exceptional contributions to the regional industry in the last five years. "To be nominated for this prestigious award is a great honour and we are thrilled to be this year's recipient," said Beverly Barbour, exectuive director of the Anna Templeton Centre.

"Truly, this award is a tribute to the craftspeople of Newfoundland and Labrador and to the many instructors at the centre who have for years passed on their knowledge and skills and generated a passion in our students to excel."

The Anna Templeton Centre for Craft, Art and Design offers craft and art classes to adults and children and professional development instruction to practising artists and craftspeople.

The Atlantic Canada Craft Awards of Excellence are awarded annually at the Atlantic Craft Trade Show in Halifax.

For more information on the Anna Templeton Centre for Craft, Art and Design visit them at 278 Duckworth Street or call 739 7623.

Excerpt. The Telegram. Tuesday, February 5, 2008.