VANCOUVER -- The owners of a Mount Pleasant restaurant say they're devastated and will have to temporarily close after being denied a permit for a patio.

In an Instagram post published Saturday, the owners of ¿CóMO? Taperia said they applied for a patio under the City of Vancouver's Temporary Expedited Patio Program, a program intended to help restaurants recover from loss of business because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We are in dire times, and expediting patio permits are essential for restaurants to survive," the restaurateurs wrote in their post.

"We applied and quickly received our liquor permit for our proposed patio from the Province of British Columbia. Last week, we received an email from the City of Vancouver stating an application was needed with them."

The owners initially believed the process would be quick and easy, and even bought patio furniture. But then they got word their application had been denied.

"We were told that 'it’s complicated,' 'we don’t have time to get into it,' and 'we may get to your file in a few days, or weeks,'" the owners wrote. "We don’t have weeks to wait for the city during these times."

In an emailed statement, city staff told CTV News Vancouver that ¿CóMO? Taperia's patio is on private property, bringing a different set of requirements.

"The first patio spaces we are enabling though this program are on public property, and we started with public spaces because we are able to issue patio permits in the least amount of time when it is on city land," staff wrote, adding that some of those applications — 14 so far — have been processed in just two days.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Devastating news yesterday from the City of Vancouver: Our patio application under the TEPP has been denied. We have decided that we will have to temporarily close our doors again after tomorrow’s service. For 2 years we’ve been trying to open dialogue with the City of Vancouver and work together with them to get patio approval along Main Street. Our contractors have had nothing but a hard time getting any straight reason why or why not we’d ever be able to get a patio. When we heard about the TEPP (Temporary Expedited Patio Program), we were excited. We are in dire times, and expediting patio permits are essential for restaurants to survive. We applied and quickly received our liquor permit for our proposed patio from the Province of British Columbia. Last week, we received an email from the City of Vancouver stating an application was needed with them. Not been an easy process. After talking to some colleagues and people close to city channels, we were told the part involving the City of Vancouver would now be easy, and we had been mentioned in a City discussion as a positive example and approval was close. We proceeded to purchase patio furniture and notify 10 staff we were re-opening and could hire them back. Unfortunately, we found out from the City yesterday that we don’t qualify under the TEPP. We were told that “it’s complicated” “we don’t have time to get into it”, and “we may get to your file in a few days, or weeks”. We don’t have weeks to wait for the City during these times. We’ve been dealing with this with the City since we opened, after spending thousands of dollars on architectural drawings, consultants, and legal work. The potential lost revenue over that year and a half has been huge. We 58 seats and have been asking for 16 seats on Main Street. We have prospered on since we opened with the hope of eventually getting a patio on the huge space out front. Operating at 50% inside without a patio will have to make us close again for now and re-think our strategy. Thanks to everyone who came out the last couple of weeks. We miss having you and all of our staff in our space and that little glimpse we had of what it was like to enjoy a tapa outside

A post shared by ¿CóMO? Taperia (@comotaperia) on

Restaurants were ordered to close their dine-in service during the worst of B.C.'s COVID-19 pandemic, but were allowed to open with reduced seating starting on May 19. Expanding patio space for restaurants is seen as key to increasing customer confidence and expanding the amount of seating available for restaurants.

Vancouver city council approved the Temporary Expedited Patio Program on June 1. On Thursday, the city reported they had received 46 applications and approved 14. Three of the 46 applications submitted so far have been for patios on private property, and the city said staff members are working with those applicants on "interim options."

City staff say they are now working on a solution for restaurants like ¿CóMO? Taperia, and hope to expand the program to permit temporary patios on private property. Staff also said they will be submitting more recommendations for city council to consider.

But for the Mount Pleasant restaurant, it's one more frustration after two years of trying to get a patio approved for their restaurant at 201 E. 7th Ave.

"We have decided that we will have to temporarily close our doors again after tomorrow’s service," they wrote.

With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Ian Holliday.