A north end Halifax café owner said he plans to fight the Halifax Regional Municipality’s decision to shut down his business.
Lyndon Hibbert, owner of Caribbean Twist on Gottingen Street, said municipal staff told him last month he had to shut down his café due to zoning restrictions.
The section of Gottingen Street the café is located on is zoned as residential, though several high-end cafés and restaurants are located across the street at the Hydrostone Market.
Hibbert said he bought the section of the building from a take-out operation, which operated for two years prior to the opening of Caribbean Twist. He assumed he was safe.
Patrons filled the tables yesterday at lunch, and a petition to prevent the closing sported 10 double-sided pages of signatures.
Municipal staff originally told Hibbert to close down his operation by the end of July, but recently granted him an extension until Aug. 30.
Mayor Peter Kelly said council can choose to grant an exemption in the Municipal Planning Strategy to accommodate Hibbert’s business, but it requires a public hearing to do so.
