Outdoor Seating Area Receives Approval From Newtown Township

NEWTOWN TOWNSHIP, Pa. — Piccolo Trattoria will be expanding its 4,146 square foot Italian sit down and takeout restaurant at the Newtown Shopping Center on West Road.

The restaurant, located a few doors down from the ACME, received conditional use and land development approvals from the township on August 10 to expand into the former Dogs and Cats Rule space next door. The expansion will allow the restaurant to enlarge its kitchen and
dining area.

As part of the expansion, the eatery will also construct a 2,212 square foot covered outdoor dining area with 112 seats at the far western end of the shopping center. A knee high wall will surround the patio area to protect diners from the parking area and access road.

The grassy area, where the outdoor seating will be located, had been held in abeyance by the shopping center for six additional parking spaces. Those spaces will now be held in abeyance across the street from the outdoor dining area with a future crosswalk planned between the end of
the shopping center and the future parking area.

Two trees (located at the rear of the new outdoor dining site) will be removed and replaced with other native trees as part of the project. A third tree at the front of the area will remain.

In order to remain viable in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurant owner Fahmi Elabed told the supervisors at an earlier meeting that restaurants now require an outdoor seating component/option for its customers.

Piccolo secured zoning relief for the project in April, including a variance to permit 59.87 percent impervious coverage ratio, which represents a .22 percent increase over what is presently permitted.

A variance was also granted to permit the shopping center to continue to maintain 953 parking spaces, of which 169 are "held in reserve” whereas the patio addition would have required the construction of an additional 15 parking spaces.

The board did not think that parking would be an issue on that side of the Newtown Shopping Center parking lot.

The zoning board did add a condition that the outdoor seating area remains outdoor seating and cannot morph into de facto permanent seating.

“This is a great thing for Newtown because Fahmi and Piccolo have been around for a long time,” said Supervisor Phil Calabro. “He’s also been a contributor to community causes. What you give back is fantastic and what you’re doing is fantastic. It’s nice to see an existing business expanding. This is fantastic for Newtown Township.”

Piccolo also operates restaurants in Doylestown and in Pennington, New Jersey.

Piccolo Trattoria is known for its Italian food, including its take out pizza, and as a destination for intimate gatherings for family and friends. All three locations offer an atmosphere of Old World ambience with Italian flair, creativity and quality.