Landscape Architect Articles

The College Park Parklet07-18-24 | Feature

The College Park Parklet

Expanding Community Spaces
by Sondra Sorenson, Archatrak

In an effort to draw the community back outside and boost local business after months of pandemic restrictions, The City of College Park, Georgia tasked a national manufacturer of pavers and pedestal systems with creating the now permanent parklet that provides additional seating for three adjacent restaurants. While the general StreetDeck design used for the parklet was standard, the team adjusted the length to fill the 90-foot-long and 8-foot-wide space, resulting in what is considered the largest parklet in the Southeast.

The City of College Park decided to get all the chairs and tables with a similar design to create a cohesive look, but each restaurant picked their own color to visually delineate the seating areas for each establishment. There are 16 high-top tables and an additional eight high-top tables with umbrellas. Because the chairs and tables are not permanent, the restaurants can adjust the seating arrangements - a helpful feature during pandemic restrictions. However, when full, the parklet can seat up to 64 patrons.

Since the parklet was not the property of one establishment but equally shared by three, a lot of effort went into ensuring that the parklet and its features were low maintenance. This was particularly important when it came to the planters, which College Park filled with faux plants and moss. The planters themselves are built into the parklet and serve as supports for the railings. Inside, an adjustable platform allows owners to set the soil container height based on the chosen plant material. These planters also come in heights up to 42 inches to accommodate local safety regulations.

As this was a community effort, city board members and local citizens came out to support the ribbon cutting ceremony for the new space.

In order to maximize dining space, the sidewalks were rerouted around the outside of the parklet by placing stanchions four feet away from the parklet edges. The bright white color of the stanchions and their reflective nature are intended to stick out from the rest of the parklet design in order to protect pedestrians from vehicular traffic.

Though the Archatrak StreetDeck parklet kit is designed to be easily removed, College Park chose it for this location because of its aesthetically pleasing and durable nature due to the galvanized steel, porcelain pavers, and Eterno pedestals. The porcelain is especially important in varying weather conditions and high pedestrian use because of its low porosity and resistance to stains and slipping. These qualities made it the right choice for a permanent fixture in an area with increasing local activity.

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Imagine driving through the main street of a historic town in Georgia, and you a see a bright red canopy, framed with plants, and locals sitting outside, enjoying afternoon brunch. Wouldn't you want to stop and say hello? Grab a bite? Maybe brush shoulders with a local? College Park worked with Archatrak to do just that, with the aim of creating an open environment that was accessible and inviting to cultivate a sense of community.

The College Park Parklet began as a summer pilot program to reactivate and reignite Mainstreet after 2020 COVID-19 restrictions. Local eateries needed help getting back on their feet as well as additional space to support patrons. People had been stuck at home and the city wanted to boost morale by getting the community back outside. A parklet, built over the existing parking spaces, would expand sidewalk space for outdoor dining and provide additional seating without damaging existing property. Decorative lighting and greenery would add vibrancy and act as a welcoming place for people to gather. The parklet would also slow traffic and draw passersby into the city.

Through the coordinated efforts of The College Park Mainstreet Association (CPMSA), City of College Park, participating restaurants, and local volunteers, the largest parklet in the Southeast was made possible. The "College Parklet" transformed nearly 100 feet of parking in front of the Real Milk & Honey, Virgil's Gullah Kitchen and Bar, and Johnny's Chicken and Waffles into full-service restaurant patios.

Parklet Design & Installation
Grace Lunsford, former board chair of CPMSA, spearheaded the parklet design. Inspired by her time in Chicago, Grace wanted to bring 'no-curb' street dining to the Georgia region. Archatrak Inc., a leader and national supplier in paving and curbside parklet design, offered an affordable modular kit that was quick and easy to assemble, made of high-quality materials, and didn't require further architectural design. With the intention to make the parklet a permanent fixture for the community, CPMSA reached out in search of a perfectly level, curbside parklet that would cover seven diagonal parking spaces.

The team produced a custom, 8' x 86' modular 'StreetDeck,' featuring a galvanized steel frame, pedestals, porcelain pavers, planters, and fence panels. Porcelain pavers were chosen over wood for added durability, stain proofing, and slip resistance. Out of a wide range of rich colors and styles, the CPMSA team chose the color 'Bluestone', a porcelain paver from Archatrak's Stonetek Collection, that mimics the look and feel of stone. The mottled gray color hid outside impurities, while creating a more cohesive appearance next to the sidewalk. Horizontal rails in powder coated 'Crinkle Black' balanced and tied the structure together with a sophisticated touch. Large planters, placed at 8-foot increments, cordoned off the parklet from the street and were fitted with faux grass, moss, willow branches, and solar lights. Reflective stanchions were placed around the street perimeter to reroute sidewalk traffic and protect pedestrians from vehicles.

Angled curbs on either side of the parklet proved to be the most challenging aspect of the parklet design. Porcelain pavers could not be cut diagonally while maintaining the parklet's structural integrity. Planters and rails were removed from the ends of the StreetDeck, and the city stepped in to fill the space between the parklet and curb with custom, riveted steel plates, elevated to deck level. This addition seamlessly integrated the parklet with the sidewalk and created a safer, more inviting environment.

Dining Area Design
Inspired by The Mojo Bicycle Café in Chicago, which boasts a clean design with bright red tables and silver chairs, the College Park Parklet adopted a similar, vibrant scheme. Color-coded chairs were used as visual accents to indicate the respective dining areas for each restaurant along the row - yellow for Real Milk & Honey, blue for Virgil's Gullah Kitchen and Bar, and red for Johnny's Chicken and Waffles. Eight bright red, removable table umbrellas created a flexible canopy over the parklet, which could seat a total of 64 patrons with 4 seats per table. Participating restaurants were responsible for supplying and maintaining their dining areas, including tables, umbrellas, and chairs.

Outcome
After installation, local restaurants saw an increase in business and a renewed downtown spirit. The outdoor dining space has become a permanent, year-round fixture and local attraction for the surrounding urban area. The parklet remains as a neighborhood hangout spot and bright accent to Mainstreet.

"It has definitely helped business," said Jared Gonzalez, the kitchen manager of Johnny's Chicken and Waffles. "From what we have seen so far, we really like it. We really appreciate it, that the city is letting us do it."