Not in my condo building.

That’s what some residents of Edge Lofts, a six-storey structure at 625 Queen St. E., are saying as the Real Jerk restaurant attempts to obtain a liquor licence for its new location.

Following a controversial eviction from the Queen St. E. and Broadview Ave. home it inhabited for 28 years, the Caribbean eatery late last year found a new spot on the ground floor of the Edge building.

But owners Ed and Lily Pottinger won’t be serving up roti as quickly as some would hope, thanks to a liquor licence dispute.

More than two dozen residents of the 66-unit building wrote to the province’s Licence Appeal Tribunal opposing the licence, citing concerns about increased noise levels and decreased property values.

A preliminary hearing, to determine if a compromise can be met, was held Tuesday and continues next month.

The residents’ chorus of dissent highlights a planning predicament for a city aiming for higher density living. While there have been measures to increase mixed-use buildings in the city, it seems businesses and residential units may not always be compatible roommates.

Toronto’s Official Plan says mixed-use building is a “key ingredient” for the successful functioning of a growing downtown.

“Torontonians will be able to live, work and shop in the same area, or even in the same building,” the document says.

Larry Bourne, professor emeritus with the University of Toronto City Centre, said many of Toronto’s mixed-use buildings have coffee shops, banks and clothing stores at their base — businesses that raise few concerns among residents.

Restaurants, bars and nightclubs are a different story.

“One of the problems with mixed-use are what uses you are mixing,” Bourne said.

To help reduce tension, he said, there should be as much communication as possible with residents about what type of businesses will come in — though if the space is being rented, that is subject to change.

In this case, the space had been zoned for commercial use from the start. Jason Garland, vice-president of development for Streetcar, the developer that operates Edge Lofts, said in an email it was always planned to be a restaurant.

Hearing that the Real Jerk was seeking a new home in the same neighbourhood, the company felt it was “well suited to fulfill that vision,” he said.

“As with almost any type of change there is often a degree of trepidation,” he said, adding the company hopes to find a resolution.

But the city can expect more disputes like this as the number of mixed-use buildings increases — Toronto residents simply aren’t used to the concept, said Ute Lehrer, an associate professor with York University’s faculty of environmental studies and expert in cities and urban planning.

“In Toronto we were living in a particular environment where, over decades or even centuries, we divided functions too much,” she said.

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Lehrer said it will just take time for Torontonians to warm to the idea, adding she wonders if a high-end or “yuppie” restaurant would garner as much opposition in this case.

Paula Fletcher, city councillor for the area, said she respects the residents’ right to be concerned about the liquor licence, but thinks the dispute is an “unfortunate start” to what could be a positive arrangement.

“It’s really unfortunate it’s come to this, because it was zoned to have this happen, and every restaurant has a liquor licence along Queen St,” she said.