FENWICK ISLAND – The construction of an outside dining area will move forward at a Fenwick Island restaurant with approval from the town’s building committee.
Last Friday, the Fenwick Island Building Committee voted to approve a building permit for the construction of a 700-square-foot outdoor dining area at Warren’s Station Restaurant, located on Coastal Highway.
Building Official Pat Schuchman told committee members last week the restaurant’s owner had applied for a permit that included the installation of a concrete pad and picket fence on the north-facing side of the facility.
“The total square footage of the restaurant is 2,740 square feet,” she said. “The required parking spaces for that size of restaurant is 28 spaces. The total number of spaces prior to construction are 70 parking spaces, and after the concrete pad and outdoor seating area are constructed there will be 63 available parking spaces.”
Committee member Reid Tingle said he had no objection to the request.
“It’s very similar to what they did with operating outdoor seating this past summer,” he said. “Did we have any complaints or issues?”
Town Manager Terry Tieman replied that the town had no issues with any outdoor service areas over the summer. Councilman and committee member Bill Weistling agreed.
“I checked with Chief Devlin about a month ago, and he said there were no complaints,” he added.
Schuchman said the restaurant would construct the outside dining area in the same location it used for outdoor seating last year. She added that the proposed outdoor dining area had restrictions on live and recorded music, lighting and hours of operation in accordance with the town code.
With no further discussion, the committee voted 2-0 to approve the building permit for Warren’s Station. Committee member Jesse Shepard recused himself from the meeting.
“I reviewed the plans,” Tingle said. “Everything looks good to me.”