Popular Beaches bakery also wants to be a wine bar

Tori's Bakeshop, a vegan bakery in the Beaches, is planning to dim the lights and turn into a little wine bar at night—provided their neighbour lets them get away with it.

The popular bakery has had its other personality under development for months now, with its liquor license application clearly posted in the window. Ideally, they would be open as a bakeshop during the day and then undergo a "Transformers-style switch" to reopen as an evening destination, according to manager Marcella Hettinger.

On the last day before the sign was to come down, however, a neighbour spoke up and put forth some objections to the new development. He's concerned about people smoking and drinking on the sidewalks and about the value of his property being negatively impacted by having a potentially noisy watering hole across the street.

Because of this one resident's objection, Tori's is now facing a seemingly endless loop of bureaucracy. They've already participated in an unsuccessful attempt at phone mediation with the AGCO, and there was a pre-hearing Friday with the license appeal tribunal. A public hearing will be held at the end of September to see if Tori's should win the right to operate with a liquor license.

For their part, the folks at Tori's have put together a petition that's being circulated to Beaches residents, asking them to show support for the initiative.

What do you think? Should the city be more worried about the enjoyment of many or the comfort of a few?