Posted at: 07/29/2010 6:36 PM
By: Amanda Theisen

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Afton to Wine Bar Owner: Concrete Patio Must Go

The City of Afton has told the owner of the new Swirl Wine Bar he must take out his new concrete patio he built in front of his establishment, saying it violates a city code.

Owner Dave Jarvis says he built the patio in front of Swirl to attract more people to his bar and to downtown Afton. Soon after Swirl opened in May, Jarvis says he got a letter from the city, saying his patio violated a city code. Afton's ordinances states the lot or concrete surface can only make up 20 percent of the property.

The city says the logic behind the ordinance is to protect ground water, runoff, and erosion. It's also meant to keep natural vegetation or green space.

Jarvis says he will remove concrete from his back parking lot to compensate for the patio space.

We checked with other cities near Afton regarding how much space a lot or concrete surface can take up on a business property. Businesses in Woodbury can have up to 70% coverage, while it goes up to 80% in Hudson, Wis. In Lake St. Croix Beach, north of Afton, impervious surface coverage is unlimited except in the city's water district.