Victoria E. Freile, and Meaghan M. McDermott

Democrat and Chronicle

Greece Town Board members gave the region's first Chick-fil-A restaurant a green light.



During a regular meeting Tuesday evening, the five-member board approved re-zoning two parcels of land — from residential to commercial — and granted a special use permit for the Georgia-based fast food restaurant to operate in Greece.

Chick-fil-A plans to build a 5,000-square-foot store across from the Mall at Greece Ridge. The eatery is to be built on the north side of West Ridge Road between Ridgecrest and Standish roads.

The proposal will next be considered by the town's Planning Board as the company seeks approvals for building plans. Gary Tajkowski, Greece's director of development services, said an application for site plan approval has not yet been submitted but that his office expects one within the next few weeks.

As it stands, the proposal calls for entrances off Ridgecrest and Standish roads, and a brick building with a drive-through.

Chick-fil-A officials have declined to comment on the potential location.

Chick-fil-A is famous for its breaded, boneless chicken breast sandwich (between two buttered buns) and its popular advertising campaign featuring a cow urging people to "eat mor chikin."

The company has more than 2,000 restaurants in 46 states and Washington, D.C. The closest restaurant to Rochester now is off Interstate 90 in Erie, Pennsylvania. Two restaurants opened last year in New York City and the company has been scouting locations in upstate and Western New York.

VFREILE@Gannett.com

MCDERMOT@Gannett.com