By Josie Bannerman

Spinnakers owner Paul Hadfield has been paying rent on an empty storefront at 425 Simcoe for about two years now. Approval from council at their March 27 meeting for his rezoning application finally gave him the go-ahead he needed to open a specialty beer and wine store in James Bay Square.

For Hadfield, the process of opening a business in our community goes back almost five years to a time when the province called for private sector involvement in retail liquor sales. “They threw the challenge to us to put together a proposal that meets the requirements of both the city and the province, and now we’ve succeeded,” Hadfield said.

Council turned down an original rezoning application from Spinnakers in September 2007. What convinced a majority of council to support the application this time around was a covenant agreement initiated by Hadfield that limits both hours of operation and the range of products he can sell. Under the covenant the new store must close at 10 p.m. daily and cannot sell distilled liquor. At the public hearing, Hadfield estimated these restrictions will cost his new business about 23% of projected sales and reduce the value of the licence at this location.

The new store will specialize in small run boutique beers, ales and wines primarily from Vancouver Island and other parts of BC. Spinnakers will also operate a “tasting restaurant” adjacent to the store, where patrons can try out local beers and wines while nibbling on complementary artisan foods, also produced locally. Hadfield expects that, in the not too distant future, Southern Vancouver Island will become a culinary destination rivaling Tuscany and Provence. He anticipates that both his new businesses will open sometime in June.

Speakers at the public hearing expressed concern about the possibility of another liquor outlet in James Bay adding to social and policing problems, especially in Irving Park. Hadfield said that while Spinnakers can’t control the city’s problems, what they can do is see to it that they don’t contribute to them.

Spinnakers currently operates two liquor related businesses in Vic West. If police identify problem people, employees just don’t serve them. Hadfield said the James Bay store won’t sell cheap sherries and the single package items they carry will be expensive.

Pam Madoff, the only council member who did not support the rezoning application, expressed concern about future businesses that might occupy the site. However, council will still retain a measure of control through the covenant agreement. “The covenant agreement goes with the land,” said city planner Lucina Baryluk. “It stays in effect in perpetuity unless all parties agree to discharge it.” Parties to the covenant are the City of Victoria and the building’s owner and mortgage holder. Baryluk said a covenant is a tool provided for in land use legislation to further restrict development.