Sidewalks and parking lots have turned out to be a lifeline during the coronavirus pandemic along the Route 1 corridor.
With residents anxious about indoor dining and shopping, local businesses and restaurants along the corridor are making good use of the areas around the exterior of their locations.
The Station at Riverdale Park eateries along 45th St, including Jersey Mike’s, MOD Pizza and District Taco, are now utilizing space designated for street parking as outdoor seating areas adorned with picnic tables, outdoor plants and bistro-style seating with umbrellas.
It has also added special short-term parking spots in front of Habit Burger for food pickup, while Denizens Brewing Co. recently installed canopies over its sidewalk making its outdoor seating area even more hospitable.
Town Center Market’s new outdoor seating area, which opened at the beginning of the year, has become very popular during the pandemic as well as 2Ffifty Texas BBQ’s new outdoor picnic tables.
In Hyattsville, Franklins restaurant, which previously had no outdoor seating before the pandemic, has since added an outdoor Biergarten and a tiki bar using the space in its parking lot.
SoHy Co-op, meanwhile, kicked off its first Sidewalk Saturday event this weekend with some 24 local businesses participating. Organizers Krissi Humbard and Bronwyn King have two more sidewalk events planned for Oct. 31 and Nov. 28 from noon to 5 p.m.
Also in Hyattsville, Streetcar 82 Brewing Co. has put up awnings over its outdoor seating for shade and ambiance, while the Federalist Pig plans to start serving food from a trailer where it will open a sit-down restaurant.
Down the street, Shortcake Bakery and Maryland Meadworks have been utilizing their sidewalk out front including collaborating on outdoor Sunday Brunch and holding Friday night jazz nights outside.
Several restaurants are collaborating on an outdoor “streatery” in D.C. in the style of European street cafes. A similar approach could be taken in downtown College Park and other parts of the Route 1 corridor.
Broad sidewalks with wide awnings and on-street parking (both for accessibility and to put a barrier of parked cars between traffic and pedestrians) aren’t just good urban design, they’re also turning out to be a great backup plan during the pandemic.
