A fixture of Edworthy Park for the last 19 years will soon move but the café’s loyal customer base will not have to travel far to find the business’ new home if all goes to plan.
Cathy Jacobs, the owner of Angel’s Cappuccino and Ice Cream Café, has been expanding her shop over the years to accommodate the needs of her customers. Nearly a decade ago, a deck was built but the boards enveloped a guy-wire for a nearby power pole.
The non-permanent business, which began out of the back of a truck, has been granted special conditions under a grandfathered agreement with the City of Calgary. “As part of being here, every five years I have to resubmit planning and development permits for land use,” explained Jacobs.
The renewal of Angel’s land use agreement was little more than a formality for Jacobs until the summer of 2015. The business received approval from all necessary City of Calgary departments but ENMAX failed to respond to Jacobs’ submission.
After five months, ENMAX halted the process over a safety concern.
“In December, just before Christmas, ENMAX stalled the project," said Jacobs. "I guess they came out to do some maintenance on the pole and discovered the discrepancy, the problem, flagged it and stopped everything.”
“We were quite surprised when we got there to find that the patio had been completely built around the guy-wires that hold a heavy-duty utility pole in place,” said ENMAX spokesperson Doris Kauffman Woodcock. “Those guy=wires hold back quite a lot of pressure.”
Seeking a simple solution, Jacobs offered to pay to relocate the power pole.
“At her cost, we did some preliminary engineering studies to see whether or not we could move it,” said Kauffman Woodcock. “Unfortunately, because of the underground piping and the infrastructure that’s in that area, we simply could not find a spot close enough for that pole to be anchored in a different location without it impacting her business.”
Jacobs received the disappointing news during a visit from city officials.
“Last month, Parks and the City showed up and said to me ‘We’re very sorry but we cannot move the pole. You’re going to have to move,’” said Jacobs. “I was stunned. I don’t think I even spoke to them. I just walked away.”
The business, with the exception of the patio, will remain open through the winter with March 2017 as the scheduled date for the closure.
Calgary Parks issued the following statement regarding the Angel's Cafe situation:
"The City of Calgary has a long standing, positive relationship with Angel’s Cafe. We are continuing to work with the owner of Angel’s Cafe to help them meet all of the required criteria so they may remain operational. This includes investigating alternative nearby locations within Edworthy Park should the current one not remain feasible (due to utility conflicts). We will continue to work with the Cafe so they can continue to provide service to park visitors with minimal disruption."
Jacobs had planned to expand Angel’s but the budget she had for expansion will now be used for a new version of the café, potentially located mere metres from its current spot.
“We will be moving into that much-needed parking lot out there, 30 feet from where the guidewire is,” explained Jacobs.
Plans for the new version of the café will be submitted to the City. If Calgary Parks approves the proposal, the submission will make its way to City of Calgary planning and development for review.
Jacobs says the new version of Angel’s will include additional seating as well as a deck with a view of the river. The owner says her vision for the cafe will not do away with the little things that appealed to her loyal customers.
“The charm goes with me. What we’ve already created, we’ll create more.”
With files from CTV's Kevin Green