One of the men behind Harbourfront Centre’s bustling nightlife is so tired of the complaints from some local residents that he’s considering dropping the site.

A “small but loud” minority of people living around the foot of Bay St. regularly call the City of Toronto, fire department and police to complain about the events, said Nick Di Donato, president of the entertainment giant Liberty Entertainment Group.

“(Harbourfront Centre) brought Luminato — Luminato! — to the neighbourhood and everyone’s complaining the street is closed,” he said.

You would think, said Di Donato, that people who choose to live in downtown Toronto do so to be in the thick of the action, but time and time again, innovative ideas out of the entertainment and arts industry are blocked.

Di Donato’s group’s, which works with some of Toronto’s trendiest venues, such as C Lounge, Rosewater restaurant, the Liberty Grand and Tattoo Rock Parlour, is a service provider with Harbourfront Centre. Harbourfront Centre, which is a not-for-profit cultural organization, produces its own events.

“It’s the same frustration for all of us. You talk to film festival people: They have challenges trying to close a street. You’d think the city would embrace it, he said.

“There’s always pushback — ‘No, we don’t want that to happen in downtown Toronto.’ And you know, if Toronto wants to be a vibrant, alpha city, we need to change this mentality.”

That’s the message Di Donato delivered to Mayor Rob Ford at the first Executive Business Roundtable, an initiative put together by Economic Development Committee chair Michael Thompson.

Dozens of the city’s top business leaders met for two hours Tuesday morning to brainstorm ways city hall can make Toronto better. Developers, hospitality executives and media leaders were among those invited.

Members of the media were asked to leave after opening remarks, but when asked what was discussed inside, Thompson mentioned Di Donato’s complaint in particular.

Other topics touched on the importance of a thriving cultural sector, the need for transit expansion, foreign investment and excessive red tape for the development industry.

“We heard that the business leaders here are very bullish on Toronto. People want to invest in the city,” he said.

In his opening remarks, Ford put three questions to the table:

“What can the city do to attract more business, to expand in Toronto in order to achieve our assessment growth? How much job creation should we target and in what sectors? And then, most importantly, what new, non-tax revenue sources can the city pursue in order to help build and pay our bills in the future? Pretty straightforward, folks, but we have to listen to you today. You’re the businesses. You’re the experts,” he said.

Those in the room say road tolls were discussed, as well as monetizing city assets.

Meanwhile, on Toronto’s waterfront, residents encouraged Di Donato to ignore the whiners.

“I enjoy all the concerts. I’m a big fan of the arts. That’s why I moved downtown from Thornhill,” said 26-year-old Bobby Roshdi.

Added Stuart Kinnear, 43, who has lived across from Harbourfront for a decade and regularly attends events there, “The only noise that bothers me is the screaming drunk kids getting off the island ferry.”

Note: This article was edited from a previous version to make clear the fact that Nick Di Donato's Liberty Entertainment Group is a service provider with the Harbourfront Centre.