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Earlier this month, dozens of his neighbours appealed to the provincial government to try to prevent his new sports bar from obtaining a liquor licence.Ìý

It’s the latest attempt by residents to preserve what they say is the character of the area, which recently became a city council-approvedÌýheritage conservation district.Ìý

In buildingÌý, which will marry Indian fare with pub classics, Sarvaiya is realizing a dream he had as a student six years ago, newly arrived from Mumbai selling panipuri in a Kensington Market food stall.

“I thought, ‘Someday I’ll open my own restaurant in this area,’” he said, in the back of his half-built business. “We’re trying to make something beautiful here — a restaurant where people can come, enjoy some social time.”

The petition, which has concluded and is no longer online, contended that a sports bar on Augusta with a patio “raises serious concerns regarding noise, congestion, and the changing character of the Market.”

This petition asked that theÌýAlcohol and Gaming Commission of OntarioÌýdenyÌýSarvaiya’s request for a liquor licence and also consider rejecting all such requests in the future.Ìý

“This application, if approved, will further tip the balance toward a nightlife economy, alienating long-term residents and reducing the availability of commercial spaces that provide necessary goods and services,” it said. “The continued approval of such applications in Kensington Market threatens the unique fabric of this historic neighbourhood and diminishes the quality of life for residents.”

It received 97 signatories in just over a day, according to the citizens’ group behind it,Ìý.Ìý

Petition author and co-chair of the group Serena Purdy said that “substance use” businesses, like bars and dispensaries, have pushed out “life-sustaining” businesses like grocers. When they leave, Purdy said, as many cannabis stores did when that bubble burst, they do so havingÌýdriven up commercial rents.

“Now look at the market,” she said. “Empty storefronts everywhere. We call those the ‘gaps in the smile of the neighbourhood.’”

Purdy said the market can’t absorb any more weed shops or bars without ceasing to be a market.

According to theÌý, the market has a total of 240 businesses. AGCO data showsÌýthere are 67 restaurants with active liquor licences in Kensington Market, 30 of which are on Augusta Avenue. There are also , including a brewery,Ìýas well as .

This comes at the expense of the “things we actually need for a healthy community and a healthy city,” said Purdy.Ìý

Another of the group’s worries is that a patio with supervised alcohol consumption might disturb future residents of a . This building will have 78 homes for people at risk of homelessness.Ìý

“Proximity to a licensed patio threatens the safety, stability, and recovery of these residents, who require quiet and secure surroundings,” according to the petition. “Patio noise, intoxicated patrons, and late-night disturbances would directly undermine this essential housing project.”

This site will be comanaged by the city, housing charity St. Claire’s and the Kensington Market Community Land Trust, a non-profit that buys land in the area to keep prices down.

In an email to the Star, land trust co-directorÌýDominique Russell said the organization is “not particularly” concerned about tenants in recovery being exposed to bar patrons. But she does think a licensed patio is “not conducive” to a “livable community.”Ìý

“The concentration of bars has been raised as a concern for the neighbourhood. for a long time, and it has only increased,” said Russell. Everyone living nearby, regardless of economic status, is entitled to “peace in their home both inside and outside,” she added.

Purdy said she believes the right way to open up a bar in Kensington is to take over a place that already has a liquor licence, so as to not increase the net amount of bars in the area. Sarvaiya’s restaurant is opening where the Hotbox Cafe used to be, ÌýÌý

In a statement to the Star, the AGCO said it received two objections toÌýSarvaiya’s application for a liquor-licensed patio.

Purdy said more people would have filed official complaints had the restaurant mounted the placard it was supposed on the front of the store indicating it had applied for such a licence.ÌýSarvaiya disputed this, saying it was appropriately displayed.Ìý

If the provincial regulator determines the objections are not “frivolous or vexatious,” it told the Star, it will either set up a public meeting or put freeze the licence application, pending review.

Meanwhile,ÌýSarvaiya has set up meetings with the residents’ group, hoping to come to a compromise.ÌýÌý

“There are so many sports bars in É«É«À²,” said Sarvaiya. “Adding one here is not going to destroy the entire neighbourhood. Our place is going to add to the beauty of Kensington.”