State College Borough Council approves ‘pedlet’ for downtown restaurant. Here are the plans
An expanded outdoor dining area is coming to Bill Pickle’s Tap Room in downtown State College, thanks to a proposal that Borough Council members described Monday as “innovative” and “interesting.”
State College Borough Council unanimously approved staff to enter into a formal agreement with Pickle’s (106 S. Allen St.), allowing the bar to soon construct a seasonal outdoor dining deck on the sidewalk by using a “pedlet,” which essentially replaces two parking spaces with an extended sidewalk that wraps around the deck. (The idea for pedlets gained national momentum about a year before the pandemic as a way for businesses to find extra space in tight quarters.)
Pickle’s had a previous agreement with the borough, which allowed it to build a smaller deck that some residents railed against since the narrow sidewalk was not extended. But council members felt this solved that issue, while simultaneously allowing for a larger deck.
“Oddly enough, since I did not like the last version of this, I do prefer this,” Councilwoman Theresa Lafer said. “I think the idea of using a space over the road for protecting pedestrians is much better than trying to squeeze everybody into the space we did before.”
Added Councilman Evan Myers: “This new solution is much more favorable than we have seen before ... so I think this will be a good addition to downtown.”
The pedlet idea at Pickle’s received universally positive reviews, with no members of the public speaking against it Monday. Instead, State College’s transportation commission unanimously recommended the pedlet proposal to council, borough staff approved of the idea, and the Downtown State College Improvement District wrote a supportive letter — all before council unanimously approved it.
However, because the formal agreement is still not official, outdoor dining details remain scant. Although artist renderings show six tables on the deck — compared to the previous two — a Pickle’s spokesperson said they were not yet certain how many they might fit in the space. The bar/restaurant also doesn’t yet have a definitive construction timeline, with officials declining to say that opening in May is a certainty.
The impending deck — and pedlet — will be removable, but the owner hopes to leave them up during special events because it’s time-consuming to take them down. In the future, both will be removed no later than Nov. 1 and re-installed no earlier than April 1.
“This is a very creative and innovative solution to outdoor dining,” Councilwoman Katherine Yeaple added, “and the schematics are wonderful.”
Because Pickle’s will need to take up two parking spaces for the pedlet, it will agree to pay about $15 a day to the borough as compensation. The downtown bar also plans to agree to a $125/month payment for taking up part of the sidewalk — at least in future years.
For now, borough manager Tom Fountaine said the borough will likely waive the fees this year, as part of the COVID-19 recovery for small businesses.
It’s not yet been determined how long the agreement might be in place, whether it’s for three years like the previous iteration or not. But Hotel State College & Co., which owns Pickle’s and several other downtown spots, hopes to get the outdoor deck up “as soon as possible.”
“This is going to be an interesting experiment,” Councilman Peter Marshall added, referring to the downtown’s first pedlet. “I don’t see why it won’t work.”
