The Capital Grille, an upscale fine dining restaurant and steakhouse, is proposing to open a restaurant at the Village at Newtown shopping center on Eagle Road.
According to a conditional use application submitted to Newtown Township, The Capital Grille is looking to locate a 236-table restaurant inside an 8,000 [actually 8,500] square foot space formerly occupied by Pier One Imports on the east side of Eagle Road..
In addition to seeking conditional use approval, The Capital Grille will be asking the township to approve a liquor license transfer from a business in Warrington to the township.
The liquor license transfer and ongoing parking concerns at the center are expected to be key sticking points during the upcoming conditional use hearing expected to be held in June before the board of supervisors.
Parking in the village has gotten more challenging, especially on Friday evenings at the McCaffrey’s side of the shopping center. Even before that residents have complained about traffic and parking inside the redeveloped center.
Brixmor, the company that owns and manages the shopping center, is allowed to have up to 45 percent of its space devoted to restaurant use, under a redevelopment agreement with the township. The new restaurant would bring the percentage up to 35.7 percent.
The more challenging obstacle for The Capital Grille will be securing approval by the supervisors of a liquor license transfer. In the past the supervisors have been reluctant to approve any additional liquor licenses in the township.
The quota for liquor licenses for Newtown Township is around seven, said supervisor John Mack. The township currently has double that number, he said.
Last year when the Blue Point Grill originally presented plans for a seafood restaurant at the former Corner Bakery Cafe at the Newtown Shopping Center, the supervisors initially denied a request for a liquor license transfer from outside the township.
"The supervisors voted to deny that primarily because, at least I thought, because we have enough liquor licenses in Newtown. We don't want to become the next Pottersville," he said, referring to a fictional town in the movie, "It's A Wonderful Life." [Read
BPG, however, was able to secure an existing license in the township from the Friends Bar and Grill, which had closed in early 2022. It eventually won conditional use approval from the township and is now preparing for a July opening.
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A resident asked on Nextdoor: “Have you seen the chaos for parking in newtown near Mccaffreys and ulta?”
Another resident said: “John, as much as I love The Capital Grille, I personally feel we have reached a saturation point as far as restaurants go in that area."
Another resident noted that after Pier 1 shut down, many businesses encouraged workers to park in the lot adjacent to the proposed Capital Grille site. This was to mitigate the parking challenges closer to home as it were.
Ultimately, it will up to the BOS to approve or deny this application.
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