Jeremy Black owner of Federal House. A group of five restaurants has proposed a development project at Market Space that would close the around around Market House to cars and provide seating and public space between now and when City Dock is fully redeveloped. The group is led by Jody Danek, co-owner of Market House. The other restaurants are Federal House, McGarvey's, Middleton's Tavern and Iron Rooster. The project is in the predevelopment phase and has not yet been submitted to the city. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Capital Gazette)

Five restaurant owners at Market Space are looking to hold on to the expanded outdoor dining and increased foot traffic they’ve relied on during the pandemic with a semi-permanent shared seating and gathering place in the area closed to vehicle traffic.

The group, led by Federal House co-owner Jeremy Black, hopes to keep the outdoor dining area for all five restaurants and beautify the space with planters, lighting, and colorful fabric shadings. The proposal would serve as a bridge between the end of the pandemic and the completion of the planned redevelopment of City Dock in three or four years, which shows Market Space as one of several mixed-use spaces for pedestrians, bicyclists or public events, Black said.

At a meeting with city officials today, Black will represent the owners of Market House, Federal House, McGarvey’s, Middleton’s Tavern and Iron Rooster to discuss a path forward on the proposal.

City spokesperson Mitchelle Stephenson confirmed City Manager David Jarrell and City Attorney Mike Lyles would attend the meeting to discuss what approvals would be needed and the legality of closing a city street for what could be several years, among other topics.
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We had a tough 2020, as everybody in the restaurant industry did,” Black said. “We’ve tried to see the silver lining in this that maybe what this has done is show the city, the general public and us as restauranteurs that there are other ways to make up for this year. You can’t get the year back, but it allows us to prove the concept that our area of the road doesn’t need cars.
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“It’s actually better for everyone involved as far as we’re concerned to have it be closed down as a pedestrian space.”

After the pandemic began last year, Pinkney Street and the parking spots between Market House and Federal House became one of the city’s recovery zones, closed to vehicle traffic to allow expanded outdoor dining to help restaurants limp through the pandemic. The space was filled with an assortment of plastic barriers, collapsable tents and picnic tables. Restaurants have begun to utilize the zones this spring as temperatures have warmed up. And Dining Under The Stars on West Street started Wednesday.

Jody Danek, co-owner of Market House, presented a preliminary of the project to the Historic Preservation Commission last week during a pre-application meeting. Those meetings allow potential applicants to meet with city commissions to get feedback on a project before they submit it. Danek is a business partner with Mayor Gavin Buckley.

These mock-ups of a semi-permanent dining and gathering space around Market House were presented to the Historic Preservation Commission last week during a pre-application meeting. The commission quickly shot down parts of the proposal because it didn’t meet strict guidelines that new projects must adhere to in the Historic District.

These mock-ups of a semi-permanent dining and gathering space around Market House were presented to the Historic Preservation Commission last week during a pre-application meeting. The commission quickly shot down parts of the proposal because it didn’t meet strict guidelines that new projects must adhere to in the Historic District. (Dan Douglas RA)

The proposal showed an L-shaped wooden deck that wraps around the western and northern side of Market House with 12-foot wide corridors between rows of tables and chairs. Wooden posts scattered throughout would hold lights and flowers with colorful, semi-transparent bits of fabric stretching over seating areas to provide shade. A public gathering area with benches would be placed next to Hopkins Plaza.

Members of the commission raised concerns with the initial concept because it was not in compliance with strict guidelines the commission must follow for outdoor cafes, such as the prohibition of planters or obscuring historic buildings, said Timothy Leahy, commission chair. The architect hired by the restaurant group, Dan Douglas, argued that the project is not an outdoor cafe but a “beautification of a public space,” which does not have as strict rules.

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Historic Annapolis submitted written testimony at the meeting that acknowledged the restauranteurs’ desire to keep outdoor dining and improve the aesthetics of the space but said the current plan is “premature” and “doesn’t reflect” the larger redevelopment effort planned for City Dock.

A group of five restaurants has proposed a development project at Market Space that would close the around around Market House to cars and provide seating and public space between now and when City Dock is fully redeveloped. The group is led by Jody Danek, co-owner of Market House. The other restaurants are Federal House, McGarvey's, Middleton's Tavern and Iron Rooster. The project is in the predevelopment phase and has not yet been submitted to the city.

A group of five restaurants has proposed a development project at Market Space that would close the around around Market House to cars and provide seating and public space between now and when City Dock is fully redeveloped. The group is led by Jody Danek, co-owner of Market House. The other restaurants are Federal House, McGarvey's, Middleton's Tavern and Iron Rooster. The project is in the predevelopment phase and has not yet been submitted to the city. (Jeffrey F. Bill/Capital Gazette)

Now, as the pandemic slowly lifts, Black and others don’t want to see the recovery zone disappear and with it the additional room to put out tables for diners. The zone, Black said, is the reason the five stores there have survived.

“Without it, we would all probably be out of business,” he said. “It allows me to increase sales and attempt to make up for an awful year, a year that we’re very fortunate to survive.”

While members of the Historic Preservation Commission shot down the plan on its design details, they were, however, supportive of the idea of keeping the area closed to traffic.

“I don’t want to give you too much hope for this design but the idea of organizing the space and making it better looking compared to what we have now is certainly supported by us,” Leahy said.

Eye on Annapolis first reported the proposal.