Vienna planning commission recommends Town Council approve larger Bear Branch Tavern seating with off‑hours condition

The Vienna Planning Commission on March 11 recommended that Town Council approve a modification to off‑street parking requirements that would raise Bear Branch Tavern’s permitted seating from 300 to 337.

Staff principal planner Lindsay Cluart told commissioners the change would add an 88‑seat private dining room in the restaurant’s basement and, under the town’s 1 parking space per 4 seats standard, would require roughly 10 additional spaces. The applicants proposed a valet plan that staff said had been reviewed by the Fairfax County Fire Marshal and would create 11 additional valet‑managed positions on site.

The commission’s discussion centered on how valet operations would function and whether current parking‑utilization data support enlarging seating. Commissioner Noble said the packet lacked recent…