The owners of Inglewood’s urban agriculture and arts hub, the AREA, have been forced to halt operations until they can resolve fire, health and permit issues.

“We’re going to push forward and see if we can overcome this, but it’s trying,” said David Winkler, who, with his wife, Kathryn, started the community-focused enterprise in April 2011.

Located on 10th Avenue S.E., the AREA (Agriculture, Recreation, Education and Environment, Arts) transformed an old, derelict schoolhouse and unkempt lot into a cultural hub in a matter of months.

Over two years it has hosted dozens of events, from punk shows and yoga classes to urban gardening and canning courses. Last summer, the AREA began running a weekly, hyper-local farmers’ market that was set to reopen this spring.

All was well for the Winklers and their dedicated crew of volunteers and supporters.

Then, last week, the AREA abruptly cancelled several scheduled events, fuelling rumours among its supporters that their beloved community hub was being shut down for good.

It turns out a group that had rented the space for an event violated the terms of its liquor licence, triggering inspections by fire, health and city inspectors.

Now the AREA will have to complete a list of safety requirements before it can reopen: Remove all hay from the lot, install emergency exit lights, provide function sink areas for a cob oven and outdoor kitchen.

“None of it is insurmountable,” Winkler said. “We do want to comply to keep it a safe place.”

But those inspections subsequently led to the revelation that the AREA had been operating without a development permit. And obtaining that permit could take months, prolonging the “temporary” shut down.

The sudden shutdown speaks to a broader problem with the city’s land-use and development rules, which can be overly restrictive, said Ward 9 Ald. Gian-Carlo Carra.

The AREA’s owners had been looking at acquiring a land-use change and had assumed, incorrectly, it would cover the development permit, Carra said.

“What they were doing made sense under their land-use,” he said. “What they didn’t realize was that even though you’ve got a business and fire inspection and they’re allowed to be doing what they’re doing under the land-use, they don’t have a development permit that’s activating what they’re allowed to do under the land-use.”

Meanwhile, Winkler is seeking volunteers to bring the AREA up to code, apply for a development permit, and, hopefully, reopen the AREA while the city reviews the application.

“The city could stick to the book and say you need to have your development permit completed, which could take a few months,” he said.

“I’m hoping that because we’ve been in operation, successfully, over the past two years without any problems, that they look upon that as favourable.”

thowell@calgaryherald.com

Twitter.com/tshowell