A parklet installed at Jackson Ward's Saison restaurant last year during Venture Richmond's Park(ing) Day (Photo courtesy Venture Richmond)
When COVID-19 struck Richmond, Soul Taco co-owner Trey Owens swapped dine-in service for to-go containers, but he couldn’t replace the community enjoying meals inside his restaurants.
Now, over three months since shuttering the dining room, Owens says he hopes to revive Soul Taco’s Jackson Ward location with a parklet, an outdoor seating space in the on-street parking lane next to the restaurant, where visitors can enjoy takeout meals and meet friends.
“I would love for there to be music,” Owens says of the parklet. “It would be well-lit and colorful — just like Soul Taco.”
Venture Richmond recently partnered with the city of Richmond to launch Picnic in a Parklet, a program helping local businesses design parklets and obtain the necessary permits. Since the initiative was announced June 18, about 15 businesses have expressed interest, says Venture Richmond Director of Riverfront and Downtown Placemaking Max Hepp-Buchanan.
If Venture Richmond deems a restaurant well-suited for a parklet, the American Institute of Architects Richmond Chapter will provide pro-bono design services. AIA Richmond President Nick Cooper says he wants to expedite the permit process and expects the first parklets will be completed in August.
Unlike the city’s initiative to expand outdoor restaurant seating through sidewalk cafes for customers, parklets are public spaces for anyone to enjoy, Public Works Director Bobby Vincent says.
Though parklets may become permanent additions to Richmond’s landscape, Vincent says they could be especially helpful as the city reopens, providing gathering space where visitors can maintain social distancing — outdoor gatherings pose less transmission risk than indoor alternatives, according to the CDC.
Typically composed of wooden benches and platforms, parklets can be decorated with potted plants or structures to provide shade, Cooper says, adding that he envisions designers integrating city culture into the parklets.
“We hope each design team will respond to the historical fabric of the neighborhood,” Cooper says. “Richmond is composed of distinctively different neighborhoods that all have a certain character, and we imagine these parklets to be an extension of that.”
Owens says he would love to incorporate Jackson Ward’s rich African American history into his parklet by playing jazz music from artists who once performed at the nearby Hippodrome Theater, including Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holliday.
Stephanie Auld, coffee manager at Saison Market in Jackson Ward, observed a temporary parklet outside the cafe during last year’s Park(ing) Day, a global event and competition hosted by Venture Richmond each September for designers and residents to create parklets outside of local businesses. Auld says visitors sat and read books, and she noticed new guests entering the coffee shop.
“Richmond loves a good patio,” Auld says. “Parklets are an extension of that. It would be a more relaxing environment.”
While parklets could help restaurants boost revenue, Cooper says he acknowledges the weight of the investment: Each parklet costs between $5,000 and $8,000 to complete.
Evan Campbell, executive chef at The Stables in the Museum District, says a parklet would greatly expand potential dining space while contributing to Richmond’s art scene. His only fear is the price tag.
“My hope is the organization is able to find funding,” Campbell says. “If it becomes really expensive, these parklets will end up going to places who don't need the spaces as badly as smaller businesses.”
Owens says the pandemic decimated Soul Taco’s revenue, and he’s crossing his fingers hoping he’ll soon be approved for a parklet.
In the meantime, he says he looks forward to parklets appearing across the city “sooner rather than later.”
“It’s something we should have done before,” Owens says. “Now that this crisis is upon us, this is a perfect way to support some of the restaurants we know and love.”
