Calgary cafe looking for new home after power pole forces closure
Cathy Jacobs, owner of the popular Angel's Cappuccino & Ice Cream Café along the Bow River at the foot bridge to Edworthy Park, says she's busy "making lemonade", referring to making the best out of a bad situation.
She got a nasty surprise this year after reapplying for land-use permits and applying to expand her patio. She says an Enmax inspector came out and told her the cafe was too close to one of its existing power poles.
"It was a bit of a shock when we heard a month-and-a-half ago that Enmax couldn't move that pole and we would have to move," says Jacobs.
"It was a big deal. We've been here 19 years and nobody even knew that there was a problem."
Enmax told CBC News that Angel's had built around an anchor supporting the overhead line preventing Enmax from accessing the infrastructure.
The city-owned utility says it also poses a significant safety hazard, given the pole's proximity to a major road and the possibility of it being hit by a vehicle.
Jacobs says it didn't take her long to get over the shock of the news and start to do some forward thinking.
"After a couple of hours of processing I decided it was time to recreate my feelings over this whole thing. The shock is done," she said.
Jacobs is now planning to apply for and build a new version of Angel's just east of the current location.
'We aren't going to lose our quaintness'
"We have permission to stay open over the winter months so that we can continue to serve our friends and still meet our financial obligations while we build."
"The new cafe will be a little cottage-style structure with more indoor seating and a river-facing deck. We aren't going to lose our quaintness."
Jacobs says she's fundraising to help raise money for the new venture.
She says she will submit new drawings to the city to make sure the building's footprint is acceptable before sending architectural drawings to the city's planning and development department.
"It's going to be exciting celebrating 20 years at Edworthy Park in a brand new building," says Jacobs, adding it will be sad to say goodbye to the old cafe, which will likely be replaced by parking spaces.
"The City of Calgary has a long standing, positive relationship with Angel's Cafe," the parks department said in a statement.
"We are continuing to work with the owner of Angel's to help them meet all of the required criteria so they may remain operational. This includes investigating alternative nearby locations within Edworthy Park."
Enmax says it worked with the business owner and the city on some viable alternatives to relocate the pole, but given the underground water piping and other infrastructure, it was not financially feasible.
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