A would-be café operator says a local residents’ association is stymying his plans for refurbishing a patio at the former home of renowned eatery Caplansky’s Delicatessen he recently took over.

Alex Lau is frustrated at continued opposition to his plan to renovate the derelict patio belonging to the building at 356 College St., near Brunswick Ave. Without rebuilding the patio, the 30-year-old is worried hundreds of thousands already poured into renovations will be all for naught.

“It’s saddening for us,” said Lau, who along with his wife took possession of the property last autumn.

They intend to convert it into a Canadian location of the Japanese dessert café LeTAO Sweets.

“We want to make this space a landmark in the area again.”

Lau was advised by the office of local city councillor Mike Layton to gather a petition to demonstrate local support for the patio ahead of March’s convening of Toronto and East York Community Council, which was set to vote on the application.

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“In freezing weather over the course of a single weekend, we walked along Brunswick and got 80 signatures in support,” recalled Lau.

Petition successfully in hand, Lau says Layton’s staff assured him a case was there to rebuild the patio, with the added proviso a “green plan” was implemented for the site. That would include removing concrete tree planters lining the area — previously flagged by city staff as a chief factor in recommending against the application — at the cafe’s expense.

Lau readily agreed to all of the stipulations.

On the day of the March meeting, Lau was informed the item would be postponed because of “pushback” from the Harbord Village Residents’ Association.

Lau says he soon after met with the association in an attempt to convince them of his good intentions in “beautifying” the patio and surrounding space and making it welcoming to the community.

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A couple of weeks later, Lau received a response, which made it clear the patio would not be supported. Instead, the group pushed forth a pre-existing, though currently unfunded, city objective to convert the location into a public green space.

“Frankly we are not convinced that such an interest, particularly for a bakery/café that is already licensed inside, trumps a long-documented Community/City endorsed objective to return this public space to public use,” board member Robert Stambula wrote in a letter sent to Lau mid-April.

Reached for comment this week, Stambula declined an interview with the Neighbourhood Voice pending further dialogue with Lau.

In a brief email message, Stambula said it was Lau who made it clear to the association that serving alcohol was the primary intention for renovating the patio, and a shared green space was untenable as a result.

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“We are happy with a patio, a green space, that is shared with Alex’s clients and the neighbourhood,” Stambula wrote.

Lau said he’s not opposed to keeping alcohol off the patio, even though he’s already secured a liquor license for the establishment, since liquor would be a secondary source of revenue for the café.

“We’re not looking to be a bar,” said Lau. “We’re a Japanese cheesecake café. It boggles the mind why there’s such strong opposition.

“This corner has been empty for the last year (since Caplansky’s closed),” he added.

Justin Ortiz, who lives in an apartment at the same address, says he supports rebuilding the patio and readily signed Lau’s petition.

“It would be a nice addition to the neighbourhood,” said Ortiz, who added he’s contacted the city on multiple occasions to report illegal dumping of garbage in the derelict space.

Lau also forwarded pictures of discarded needles to the Neighbourhood Voice and other drug paraphernalia found at the site.

Brunswick resident Matthew Celestial also signed Lau’s petition. The public relations professional said he’s assured the new café will have a positive impact on the community.

“People loved the old Caplansky’s, it was a fixture in the neighbourhood. So having something new at the same spot will create something exciting for the community,” said Celestial.

Layton’s office has not responded to requests from the Neighbourhood Voice to comment on the dispute, or clarify whether the councillor will support the patio application when it’s debated at community council’s next meeting in May. The matter was deferred in both the March and April meetings.

Lau said he might have reconsidered spending upwards of $375,000 on renovations so far had he known there would be a significant opposition to his plans.

But patio or no patio, he vows the café will soon become a reality.

“This space has been in the works for nearly a year,” he said. “We’re anxious to open.”