By Mark Squibb
An application for a microbrewery and eatery at the site of the former St. Joseph’s Roman Catholic Church in Petty Harbour has not gone over well with some residents, among them Nancy Hannaford, who says the idea is a poor fit for the Cribbies Road property.
Over a hundred residents have signed a petition against allowing the microbrewery, the application for which in one form or another has been before council since the spring of 2023. Along the way, council approved motions to accommodate commercial uses at the address and to add “Microbrewery” to a list of discretional uses ahead of possible approval of the business.
Chief among the residents’ concerns are increased traffic and inadequate parking, common problems in Petty Harbour during tourist season.
“When there were weddings or masses at the church, there were cars parked all along the little side roads, at the community centre, on the church parking lot, and you tolerated it because it was an hour a day, 75 days out of the year,” said Hannaford. “But you can’t tolerate that 12 hours a day, seven days a week.”
The brewery is expected to seat upwards of 75, and will employ about 30 people, with additional employees brought on as need be for marketing and distribution of products. The applicant would also excavate to make way for a 21-car parking lot.
According to its application, the owner, who also operates Chafe’s Landing Restaurant and Tinker’s Ice Cream Parlour in other locations in the harbour, plans to install traffic signage, work with Newfoundland Tours to secure shuttle services from St. Johns, hire a traffic cop during peak times, and “encourage alternative transportation options like ride sharing” to mitigate traffic congestion. The applicant also suggested hiring from within town and encouraging employees to walk to work.
Those mitigation measures, said Hannaford, just don’t cut it.
“Encouraging ride sharing is ludicrous,” said Hannaford. “It’s not an actionable plan. You can’t control what other people do.”
A traffic report commissioned by council, prepared by Harbourside Transportation Consultants, estimated a traffic volume increase of 17 precent should the application be approved, and that the proposed 21 parking spaces will not be enough to meet demand, and that off-site parking will be necessary.
A commissioner’s report, presented to council in October of 2023, took many of those same concerns into account.
“I was given a petition against the proposed Amendments containing 118 signatures and it was clear to me that residents of the area are against the possibility of a microbrewery being developed on the former church property,” wrote Stanley N. Clinton in his decision. “They would be the ones affected by such a development whether by increased traffic, noise and odors.”
Clinton noted that local roads are little more than one lane wide and do not have sidewalks, and that the microbrewery would generate “significant extra activity.”
Clinton recommended that a microbrewery should not be considered for the area (although council allowed the amendment naming a microbrewery as a discretionary use to stick), and that council should consider other commercial uses for the property.
“It is clear that it should be put to some use and not left unused and likely to deteriorate,” said Clinton.
Hannaford, meanwhile, said the findings of the commissioner’s report validated residents’ concerns.
Regardless, council may yet approve the application.
Mayor Ron Doyle said he feels torn on the matter.
“This is probably one of the most difficult decisions we’ve had to make,” said Doyle. “It’s pretty controversial… It’s difficult, you’re caught between a rock and a hard place, because you’re trying to do what’s best for the community, which basically is tourism, and trying to keep a half-decent way of living in what was always a quiet community. We have narrow streets and lots of traffic. But I’ll make up my mind in the next couple of weeks.”
Doyle said he understands the concerns raised by residents in regards to parking and traffic congestion, amongst other matters, but also admitted a microbrewery such as the one proposed could be a huge benefit to the town.
“Tourists now look for an experience,” said Doyle. “Tourists coming to Petty Harbor want to go to Chafe’s Landing, they want to go on the zipline, they want to go down to the mini aquarium, and this one will be one more part of that experience.”
Doyle added the business would create upwards of 30 much-needed local jobs.
“The future is tourism, and we’ve got to try and make as best we can,” said the mayor.
From a council perspective, there is a hurdle yet to overcome before the vote is cast. The Department of Municipal Affairs, at the behest of residents, is investigating possible conflicts of interest among some members of council in regard to the application.
Doyle said four members of council have been named as possibly being in conflict. He did not name those four members.
Doyle said it will likely take a week or so for the conflict of interest matter to be sorted out, and he hopes council will be able to vote on the application during the October 21 public meeting.
“Hopefully by the 21st this will be put to bed one way or another,” said the mayor.
Hannaford, meanwhile, said that should council approve the application, residents will appeal the decision.
