KITCHENER - In a decision that stunned both residents and the developer, Kitchener council rejected a proposal to allow a A&W drive-thru and restaurant next to a residential neighbourhood.

The 6-5 decision Monday night reversed the decision two weeks ago at the city's planning committee when councillors voted 8-2 to allow the drive-thru.

Monday's reversal prompted Coun. Scott Davey to say in exasperation, "I hope everyone is clear on what they just voted on."

The decision will almost certainly be appealed to the Ontario Municipal Board, he warned, and because council chose to ignore the advice of its own planning staff, "we have to hire outside planning consultants . to fight our own staff at an Ontario Municipal Board hearing," he said. "This is the decision that we made and I hope everyone stays tuned to see what happens."

Developer Ben Kooh of Cambridge had applied for a zone change to allow the 24-hour drive-thru to go ahead on a vacant lot at Ottawa Street South at Strasburg Road. Council's decision means the existing zoning, allowing a gas station and a 24-hour drive-thru car wash, remains in place for the site, which abuts homes on Strasburg Road and Roberts Crescent.

Monday's reversal surprised both the developer and nearby residents.

"It's hard for us to come to a conclusion as to what happened," Kooh said. "I was very surprised."

He said he was "very disappointed" with the decision.

Kooh said he had worked hard to address concerns raised by planners, engineers and residents, moving the restaurant as far as possible from the homes, and changing the design to place the drive-thru intercom as far as possible from homes, build a 2.4-metre sound abating fence when only a 1.8-metre fence is required, install medians to prevent left turns into the restaurant and store garbage in underground bins.

He said he will likely appeal to the municipal board.

"We are preparing to go to the OMB," he said Tuesday. "I mean, there's no other recourse. That, or build a gas station and find a tenant."

He warned that if his appeal is successful, the noise-abating fence, underground garbage storage and other enhancements may not be part of the final plan, given the extra costs he will bear to pay for an appeal, he said. "Everything is a clean slate," Kooh said.

Resident Mel Shaughnessy-Daub, who lives next door to the site and who led the effort to oppose the drive-thru, said the decision also surprised her.

"It certainly wasn't the way I thought it was going to go," she said afterwards.

Residents were not opposed to a zone change that allowed a broader range of commercial uses, but were simply seeking a ban on drive-thrus in that particular location, she said. She also asked for a traffic study, citing high collision rates at nearby intersections, though regional and city transportation officials said such a study wasn't needed.

"I'm very happy that there's not allowed to be a drive-thru on that corner," she said. If the developer were to put a gas station on the site, even with a drive-thru car wash, "I don't think it will have nearly the impact that the A&W drive-thru would."

Rosemary Hagedorn, whose home backs onto the site, disagrees. A gas station and car wash could bring fumes, pollution and the noise of car vacuums and the car wash, she fears, as well as increased traffic. A study presented by the developer suggested a gas station with car wash and convenience store would generate 600 more trips a day than a fast-food restaurant and drive-thru.

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Coun. Paul Singh, who represents the ward where the site is located, proposed a delay to allow for a traffic study, but was voted down 6-5.

Coun. Zyg Janecki, a former planner, then proposed allowing a zoning change, but excluding restaurants from the list of permitted uses. That was defeated 8-3.

Kooh has 21 days to file an appeal after he receives formal notice of the city's decision. If an appeal goes ahead, residents plan to take part and have already hired a planner, Shaughnessy-Daub said.