Credit: Chris English/NewtownPANow.com
Outdoor dining in Newtown Township got another boost Wednesday night when the township board of supervisors unanimously granted preliminary and final land development approval for an 800 square-foot outdoor patio at the Applebee’s restaurant at 2 West Road in the Village at Newtown Shopping Center.
Jason Rose, principal at the restaurant’s franchisee The Rose Group, said the concrete patio that will have 24 seats should be ready by about mid-summer. He and engineer Christopher Lang said it will not add to total net seating at the establishment because some indoor seating will be taken away.
Supervisors’ Chairman Dennis Fisher and fellow board members John Mack, Elen Snyder, Phil Calabro and Kyle Davis all voted for approval after asking some questions of Rose and Lang. The approval came with a long list of fairly routine conditions, including that The Rose Group use native plants and shrubs as much as possible in landscaping that will be part of the project. The project had previously received some variances from the township zoning hearing board.
Outdoor dining has become more popular in towns and cities across the state and country since the coronavirus pandemic, when it became very common for safety reasons.
