Will Warrenton’s sidewalk dining return this spring?

The Warrenton Town Council is considering bringing back its “parklet” program this spring, and some local business owners are embracing the continuation of the pandemic- era tradition.

We’ve all heard the story: When the pandemic hit restaurants and stores were forced to close down for months – uncertain when they would reopen.

Towns like Warrenton sprung into action with its “Roll Out Warrenton” program which temporarily relaxed zoning rules so that businesses could seat people out on the sidewalk and the street instead of inside. These measures have helped keep businesses afloat the last couple years.

But with the pandemic now gradually fading into the background some may be wondering why the parklets are needed anymore? If you walk into any number of restaurants and stores around downtown Warrenton people are eating, drinking and shopping inside like they were before the pandemic.

Nonetheless, restaurant and store owners say parklets have become valuable to their business and should continue.

Homie Sehhat, owner of Sunny Hills American Grill at 70 Main St., said parklets almost double the amount of customers Sunny Side receives because it creates more seating.

“We have 49 seats inside,” Sehhat told Fauquier Now. “You put the parklets out, at best, the seating increases to 80.”

Sehhat said he has heard some in town oppose the parklets because they limit parking along Main Street. But he argued the increased foot traffic businesses receive make it a worthy sacrifice.

“I know for a fact, that when our business goes up, retail businesses go up because people

come here, they eat and then they walk across the street and go shopping,” Sehhat said.

David Hartman, owner of Hartman Jewelers also on Main Street, said before the pandemic his business had been declining and did not seem to be “bottoming out.” But after the town decided to implement the parklets in May 2020 Hartman’s business grew exponentially.

“We started to see increased traffic downtown and then in our store,” Hartman told Fauquier Now. “The increased traffic has created increased transactions.”

If approved by the council this would be the third consecutive year the town has implemented the parklet program.

The program was one of the first in the region during the summer of 2020, and drew regional and national press coverage back as patrons flocked from Northern Virginia and D.C., where closure orders lifted more slowly.

The program applies everywhere in Warrenton, but most participants operate in Old Town.

During the Feb. 8 council meeting, Mayor Carter Nevill said the parklets have been instrumental over the last few years in bringing increased business to the town and noted he would like to see the parklets go up again as soon as possible.

“The value of these parklets have proven itself, I think, even beyond our wildest expectations,” he said.

The council plans to review the parklet program at its next meeting March 8.