Forrest Sellers

fsellers@communitypress.com

Council opposed to restaurant’s drive-through design while residents fear traffic impact

OAKLEY – The announcement of a new Chick-fil-A in Cincinnati has met with mixed reactions.

Steve Dragon, a representative for developer Vandercar Holdings Inc., said that a Chick-fil-A would be the newest tenant at Oakley Station. The announcement was made during the Feb. 2 Oakley Community Council meeting.

Dragon said this will be the first Chick-fil-A in the city of Cincinnati. There is a Chick-fil-A in Clifton, but it has limited hours of operation.

What has council members and a number of residents concerned is that the restaurant will have a drive-through. In the past council has shown an opposition to drive-throughs in the community.

This could open a Pandora’s Box, council Vice President Dave Schaff said.

Schaff said he fears approving a drive-through would create problems if other restaurants wanted a similar concession.

Hypothetically one might be OK, but not five, Schaff said, referring to four other potential sites in Oakley Station where tenants have yet to be announced.

Schaff took an informal poll of residents attending the meeting to find out if they supported the proposed design. The results were split almost in half.

Oakley resident Laurie Munson said she was worried about potential traffic backups. This could create congestion at the east end of the development, she said.

The Chick-fil-A would be at the intersection of Marburg Avenue and Disney Street.

This is going to be a corner piece entering Oakley Station, said board member Chris Mengel, adding that proper buffering at the site needed to be addressed.

Board member Jason Wilcoxon echoed the concern expressed by Munson.

“Can the site handle lunch and dinner (crowds)?” he inquired.

Dragon said aesthetic issues would be addressed and that Vandercar was comfortable with the design plan.

Gary Rouse, a principal with GBC Design Inc., said the Chick-fil-A would be about 4,700 square feet, consist of a double drive-through and have a parking lot of 57 spaces.

A development plan for the site will be presented to the Cincinnati Planning Commission in March.

Although several suggestions were made, the Oakley Community Council did not take an official vote on the proposed plan for the Chick-fil-A restaurant.