It looks like a popular outdoor bar along the Boston waterfront may be shrinking because it has apparently been discouraging public access.
Banker & Tradesman is reporting that state regulators have told the InterContinental Boston Hotel that it has to remove the outdoor bar area along the Fort Point Channel while also taking down signs that deter people from using the space, which is technically open to the public. The post says that the hotel is in violation of the terms of its Chapter 91 license, failing to allow for public open space by putting up signs that discourage 24-hour public access, and as a result, the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) has ordered all restaurant and bar seating to be removed along with "any other gates, moveable landscaping, or other devices that restrict pedestrian access" to a 60-foot-wide area that goes from the seaward edge of the Boston Harborwalk. It is not known for certain how much of the bar might be going away, as the article simply says the outdoor bar area is being removed; as soon as we find out more, we will post an update here. The article says that the owner of the hotel has 30 days to correct the violations at which point it may face fines from the DEP.
[July 15 update: @FortPointer clarifies the InterContinental Boston Hotel patio issue via a couple of Twitter posts today, saying that only part of the outdoor bar would need to be removed. The tweets says that the patio is "required to recede from edge, allow access to public ramps and lawns....Public area is 60 feet from seawall, leaving sig space for bar and/or resto, including existing patio-resto running 3/4 length of building."]
The InterContinental Boston Hotel includes such dining and drinking spots as Miel, Sushi-Teq, Rumba, and Vodkaba.
Follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston
[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]
