A restaurateur is "very disappointed" city councillors have rejected his bid to open a burger joint on Lansdowne Street West over parking issues, says his planner - but he hasn't entirely given up yet.

Kevin Duguay is the planner for restaurateur Mike Kantaros, whose family has operated Big Boy's Burgers for 20 years.

Big Boy's has four locations in the GTA and another in Cobourg and wants to convert a convenience store on Lansdowne Street West - next to McKnight's gifts - into a restaurant.

But city councillors gave preliminary rejection to the plan Monday night at a committee meeting.

A final vote is expected at a city council meeting on Jan. 27, and Duguay said he and his client will be there to speak to council prior to that vote.

"We'll try to put things - one last time - into perspective," Duguay said in an interview Tuesday.

The main issue is parking for the 18-seat restaurant: the property is tight but can hold 10 spots plus a loading area, Duguay said.

"Our parking plan works - it meets the requirements of the zoning bylaw," he said.

But city planning staff disagrees, saying the parking area is already too small for a burger joint - and it will get far worse in the future.

At some point in the next few years, planning staff says Lansdowne Street will be widened - and that would eat up all of Big Boy's parking lot (which is in front of the building, along the street).

On Monday, Coun. Stephen Wright wanted to go against the city staff recommendation to turn down the plan, but only one Coun. Henry Clarke voted along with him.

The rest of councillors were concerned that the city will end up putting Big Boy's out of business at some time in the next few years when the road is widened.

"I would love to see this business come to town, but not in this area," Coun. Keith Riel said.

Yet Duguay points out that the city hasn't planned exactly when Lansdowne Street might be widened.

"The road might not be widened for another 20 or 30 years - therein lies the predicament," he said.

And if Lansdowne Street West is widened, he said, it would rob many businesses of their parking: McKnight's, for instance, and the Memorial Centre (which would lose its vehicle drop-off area).

City staff has another perspective on Monday.

It's "very rare" that city planners don't recommend a reuse of a property to council, said city commissioner of planning and infrastructure services Cynthia Fletcher at the meeting on Monday.

The city has committed to a future road widening in its Official Plan, she said, and there's no sense allowing Big Boy's to open now only to force them out of business in the future.

"It (a restaurant) is not appropriate for this site," Fletcher said.

The council meeting begins at 6 p.m. on Jan. 27 at City Hall.

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joelle.kovach

@peterboroughdaily.com