Due to a Town Bylaw that exists governing businesses serving food in this area we must carve up our lovely garden backing on to the Museum and twenty Valley and put in 11 parking spaces. 10 plus one handicap.
This is a minimum requirement despite the tearoom being only a capacity of 26 seats. We are only open a few hours a week and have no LCBO license.
To change the permitted use or fight the town it will cost thousands. This would also be public and there is no guarantee we would get what we wanted.
If we pay the town $11,000 per space then it all goes away.. what is that, legal bribery? Its ridiculous!

In Niagara on the lake they don't need parking.

I can fit at least 4 cars in my drive and another three on the street within my property frontage, it seems so unfair!
I back on to the museum and many of my customers go in to the museum, visit and buy in the lovely local shops and go to Weddings and wine tastings at Cave Springs.
The other businesses on the street don't serve food so do not need to have the same parking.
I support the community and love living here but this is financially breaking me and now I am being forced out!

Lastly when I bought the house I agreed to assume an already agreed site plan at a cost to me of $2500. Actually this site plan was null and void as the owner /seller of the home and the Real Estate agent omitted to tell me that the neighbor had rescinded permission for the draining to go 1 meter across the very back of their property years before I bought the house and if I had known this I would never have bought the home.
Now I have been asked to do a whole new site plan at a cost of $7500 with new plans for drainage still with no guarantee that the new plan will be allowed by the town. The town, the seller and the real estate agent had all been informed by registered letter by the neighbor years prior so this was simply fraud....but guess what, to fight that that too will cost money and I am just beat.
I paid so much for medical bills living expenses and just debt we got into when my husband died 7 years ago and now am sinking into deep mud again.
I have no idea what we can do here...
All I know is that with your support we can ask the town to help us keep this lovely Tearoom open!
Possibly reduce the parking needed.
Possibly give me more time and let me open in the meantime, not sure but your support is so valuable and means a lot to me!
Thanks very
Lorraine, Oscar (11) and Maddy (10)