A group of 11 restaurant owners are taking steps to file an injunction against the construction of a planned centralized terrasse in Jacques Cartier Square.

The restaurateurs said they have been trying to meet with Mayor Denis Coderre for two months to talk about the terrasse, which was announced in January. They said they were never consulted on a plan that they called a health and safety hazard.

The terrasse is part of a $5 million investment into the square. Restaurants that currently have terrasses in the front of their businesses would see them relocated to one central patio in the middle of the square.

The owners said that with this plan, which would move terrasses further from their kitchens, food would get cold. Further, there would be no water access and there would be the danger of servers carrying large trays bumping into pedestrians. The terrassse would also be inaccessible when it rains, as servers would be unable to walk on the wet ground between their restaurants and the tables.

"We had rain July of this year," said Jardin Nelson employee Genevieve Bertrand. "Seven days, we would have been closed."

The patio would also not be equipped with heaters, which Le Pink Flamingo owner Stevie B. Hamron said would eat into an already short season for the restaurants.

"We get a little early headstart in spring when it's still cold. We're able to set up our heaters so we're able to get some more people," he said. "Ending our season towards the fall, we're also able to get some more business out of it."

Resto Bar St-Amable owner Erik Luksenberg said the past few years have already been a tough time financially for the restaurants.

“It’s very difficult because in this time, we’ve had construction all over the place,” he said. “St. Paul St. is closed. Notre-Dame St. is closed. After Sept. 5, we have some construction here in the middle of Place Jacques Cartier for the construction of the terrasse.”

Work on the central patio area is set to begin on Sept. 6.

While the owners said they are still willing to meet with Coderre, a lawyer is drawing up the paperwork to file an injunction within the next 10 days.

A petition on a website started by the group has thus far garnered 2,000 signatures from people who oppose the plan.

The city declined to comment on the project but in a statement, they defended the plan, saying it has gained widespread support and that it's a model that has worked well in cities around the world.