Robert Keates, the owner of Heroes Bar & Grill, needs to wait until May 13 to learn if he can have outdoor dining at the restaurant. Keates represented himself at an unusually short — maybe 10 minutes — conditional use hearing Tuesday night and was the only person to give testimony. There was no one present to oppose the application.
Since Nov. 11, Heroes Bar & Grill has occupied the old Duffers Tavern location on Route 1, 996 Baltimore Pike, in Concord Township. Outdoor dining is permitted in Concord with conditional use approval, and Duffers had outdoor seating.
Keates said the proposed outdoor dining area will be on an existing patio area that Duffers had used. He was only seeking approval for the outdoor dining, nothing more
According to township solicitor Hugh Donaghue, the restaurant is in the Commercial 2 District, and adjacent properties are zoned either Commercial, Industrial, or Business.
Under questioning from Council President Domnic Pileggi, Keates said the pre-existing bocci court has been removed and will be leveled, stairs leading to the patio area have been repaired, and that there will be a six-foot fence around the area. There will also be a full-time hostess at the patio during hours of operation.
Pileggi said that in previous conditional use hearings, seasonal outdoor dining is limited to April 1 through Oct. 31, and hours of operation were limited. Those hours are 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to midnight on Friday and Saturday.
Keates said he had no objections.
Pileggi said the council would issue its decision during the May 13 council meeting. Council postponed the meeting a week because of a meeting of the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors from May 4-7. The council meeting would have been on May 6.
About Rich Schwartzman
Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.
