Del Ray restaurant The Garden to bloom into new outdoor area

A Del Ray beer garden is headed to the Planning Commission on Tuesday, May 4, with hopes to grow beyond the venue’s current confines.

The Garden at 1503 Mount Vernon Avenue is requesting to expand its outdoor seating from 100 to 146 seats and expand hours of operation from the current 10 p.m. closing time to 11 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and at midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.

“The expanded outdoor seating would be located behind the existing seating area adjacent to an existing storage shed, 20 feet from the rear lot line,” the application says. “[The] new seating area would be for adults only and would be enclosed by an eight-foot-tall privacy fence. The adults-only seating area would be closed to patrons by 10 p.m., daily.”

The plan is to convert the existing storage shed into a beverage service station for patrons.

The expansion will also require a one-space parking reduction.

In a staff report, city staff recommended approval and said the project could help enliven the Del Ray streetscape.

“The expansion of the business would align with the Mount Vernon Avenue Business Area Plan goals as it would further activate a lively pedestrian streetscape,” staff said. “The applicant has worked closely with Del Ray Citizens’ Association and the immediate neighbors to refine the proposal to reduce potential impacts. After conversations with the neighbor immediately behind the subject property, the applicant moved the proposed adults only seating area further away from the rear lot line and proposed that this area would be closed by 10 p.m. daily… This would help mitigate potential noise impacts to the immediately adjacent neighbors behind the subject property.”

Photo via The Garden/Facebook