Zeke’s Coffee is upgrading the outdoor sidewalk patio at its Woodridge roastery with a new year-round seating structure.

The D.C. coffee roaster received a grant from the D.C. Building Industry Association‘s sidewalk improvement program to add a permanent structure in front of its location at 2300 Rhode Island Ave. NE today.

Using its existing sidewalk permit, Zeke’s now has a modern wooden seating structure with benches and planters for decorative flowers and other greenery that can accommodate several customers, owner John Kepner told the Hyattsville Wire.

A triangular solar sail will also be added next week to allow for year-round use and when the temperatures drop later this year Kepner says they have patio heaters ready to go.

The structure is being designed and built through in-kind contributions from HYL Architecture, HITT Contracting and Capitol Drywall, while furniture company Herman Miller donated chairs.

This new effort is yet another sign that the coronavirus pandemic is leading Route 1 businesses to make better use of their sidewalks for the long term.

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