Is the Rochester area ready for a second Chick-fil-A?

The restaurant is looking at a location in Henrietta. It's good news for Chick-fil-A fans, but those worried about traffic congestion may not be on board.

Traffic is nothing new in Henrietta, but if the proposed second location in the Rochester area is destined for the heart of the business and shopping area, some worry the situation will get worse.

"Traffic’s already bad on this street so it would just make it worse I feel," says, Skye Carter of Henrietta.

Chick-fil-A is eyeing is the closed Joe’s Crab Shack in a plaza at 100 Marketplace Drive. The popular restaurant chain has already submitted an application to the Henrietta Town Planning Board and has met with the town three times.



The proposal includes a double lane drive-thru with access from Jefferson Road.

"The third time they came in with a plan, it curves that drive through to the south so that the only way to get into it is to come in off of Marketplace Drive and to come up through the middle of the plaza," said Henrietta Town Supervisor Stephen Schultz.

The tow is trying to be proactive to address any traffic issues before they arise. "We’re not gonna accept a traffic issue,” he said. “I’ve made it very clear to them that if they back up on Jefferson Road and they cause traffic congestion that we will shut them down.”

Traffic studies are planned comparing the back-ups observed when a Chick-fil-A opened in Greece and from other areas in the state, where long lines created traffic headaches, like the recent opening in Buffalo.

The concept plan will be presented to the Henrietta Planning Board on Tuesday.

The public is invited to attend, but will not be able to address officials at those meetings until the proposal is presented, which could happen as early as January.