By  –  Staff reporter, Columbus Business First

Cameron Mitchell Restaurants’ new German Village restaurant will have nearly triple the patio space of its predecessor.

Plans for that outdoor space were approved Wednesday by the German Village Commission, which praised the proposed design for its ability to keep the pedestrian feel along South 3rdStreet.

Further details about the new eatery are still to be released, including its name, but check out the slideshow with this story for a peek at the patio plans as drawn up by Columbus-based Design Collective.

The small, six-space parking lot that had been used by the previous restaurant will be converted to a patio, bringing the restaurant’s outdoor dining area to more than 1,800 square feet. The original G. Michael’s patio was only around 600 square feet.

Plans include an outdoor bar, a fountain and keeping the tree that’s grown up around the existing building and patio.

Cameron Mitchell Restaurants presented multiple look options to the commission Wednesday night, including one that would’ve built a brick wall with an arched entrance alongside the current building.

The company’s preferred design, which included a greenery-covered fence and a pergola, was the commission’s preference.

“I think you nailed it,” a commission member said during the presentation.

President and COO David Miller spoke with Columbus Business First earlier this year about the company’s plans for the space.

The company had been looking for opportunities in German Village for around 15 years.

“We’re willing to be patient to find the right spot,” Miller said. “We looked in New York City for seven years. Now we finally found the right opportunity in German Village. We’re excited to be part of the great restaurant community there.”

It’s not the only new Italian restaurant in development at Cameron Mitchell Restaurants. The company is bringing a new concept called Valentina’s to Bridge Park in Dublin this year.