A longtime New Westminster restaurant will have to stick to its current hours of service.
Stefanos Restaurant had sought the city's support to extend its hours of liquor service to 2 a.m., seven days a week. The restaurant is currently able to serve liquor until midnight.
Stefanos, which has been open at 315 Columbia St. since 1994, sought extended liquor service hours to accommodate patrons who prefer to dine later at night.
According to a staff report, the city received 31 pieces of correspondence from people opposing the application (including 24 from nearby residents) and one letter of support. The report stated that the parking lot and entrance at the rear of the restaurant faces multiple residential buildings, so an extension of the restaurant's hours of operation would exacerbate current noise impacts on local residents.
New Westminster city council didn't support the restaurant's application to extend its hours of liquor service until 2 a.m. Staff had recommended that council deny the request.
"We have tried to shift the downtown, rather than be an entertainment area, to be a family friendly area," said Coun. Bill Harper. "They are a restaurant."
While he has no issues with Stefanos, Coun. Chuck Puchmayr said he doesn't believe a 2 a.m. closing time is conducive to what the city's aiming to achieve in the neighbourhood.
