Rialto nightclub plan approved

After dragging the hearings on for three days, the city's Urban Development Commission finally voted to approve the proposal to turn the Rialto theatre in Mile-End as a nightclub. In what some observers call a highly cynical move, the Commission put off its final vote on the matter until last Friday at 2 p.m.--exactly the same time when the Hassidic community, which opposes the plan, ends its workday to begin the Sabbath.

In order to appease residents' concerns about parking, the Commission modified the proposal slightly: Rialto management must provide a minimum of 200 parking spaces and valet service for its clients.

On Thursday, some community and Commission members were given the opportunity to inspect the restorations, including Janet MacKinnon of the Historic Theatres' Trust. While acknowledging the efforts made by the Rialto's owners, MacKinnon says some of the decor by noted theatre decorator Emmanuel Briffa has been lost.

"There was a great deal of his intricate stencilwork on the walls, and much of it has been painted over," MacKinnon told the Mirror. "That work is still recuperable at some point in the future, but it will be very expensive." Rialto manager George Ioannou has said that the stencilwork on the ground floor was not recuperable, though he is attempting to preserve it in the balcony.

The Commission's recommendation must still be ratified by a vote at city council. While council met this week, the Rialto proposal was not scheduled for a vote. Council meets again on November 29.

--Philip Preville

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