Operators of the Warrenton License Office are hoping to give customers a break from crowded parking and long wait times by moving to a new location.

Later this spring, the license office will move to a new home at the Shoppes at Warrenton Mall, according to Lindsay Castello, who heads the office on behalf of the Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce. The new office will be in the east wing of the mall.

“It is about twice as big as what we have here,” said Castello, indicating the current office. “We felt that was important because we are a high-volume location. There’s always people that are waiting in the waiting room.”

With the move, she said the license office is seeking to expand the number of stations serving customers. That would reduce wait times, but needs to be approved by state regulators. It would also require adding more staff to the four full-time and two part-time employees in the office, Castello said.

Being situated in the mall, the new location would also have much improved parking compared to the current office on a crowded stretch of Veterans Memorial Parkway.

Castello said it will take several weeks at least to convert the former retail space in the mall into a new license office. She hopes construction in the 2,400-square-foot office will wrap up by early March. Once it’s done, the new office should provide a better customer experience and be in a position to handle any new growth in customers, Castello said.

“At this point, we’ve already outgrown our space,” she commented.

Jan Olearnick, executive director of the Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce, said moving the license office will have the added benefit of encouraging other new tenants to move into the mall in Warrenton.

“They are able to use our license office as a marketing tool, to be able to say ‘You’re going to be getting hundreds of people coming through here per day,’” Olearnick explained. “That center used to be our greatest (economic) asset, and then it became a huge liability. It’s nice to be part of a resurgence there.”

At the least, any new restaurants or shops that move into the mall will have improved visibility with so many customers coming to the license office. When the office is busy and customers have a longer wait, Olearnick commented that they might even decide to do some shopping or buy some food while they wait. It’s a good opportunity for the office, the customers and the mall, she said.

“We’re just excited. This shows that we’re getting behind Warren County and putting our money where our mouth is,” Olearnick said.