The proposed second Chick-fil-A for the area will have to wait, as the plan was tabled by the Middletown Township Planning Commission.
The planners voted Wednesday evening to table the plan until a future meeting over concerns related to traffic in the area where the fast food company wants to open a second Middletown Township location.
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Chick-fil-A is looking to build a 5,200-square-foot restaurant with outdoor seating, indoor seating, and a dual-lane drive-thru in what is now the parking lot between the Starbucks and Inspire Federal Credit Union and in front of Floor and Decor at 1501 East Lincoln Highway. The plans include constructing a sidewalk to connect to a nearby SEPTA bus stop. Due to the proposed location sitting a bit below street-level, the building’s facade would be taller than usual to obscure mechanical equipment on the roof from those driving on East Lincoln Highway.
The new Chick-fil-A would take some burden off the location with a drive-thru about 1.5 miles away at Lincoln Plaza near the Oxford Valley Mall and Sesame Place in the township. Due to the other Middletown eatery’s high-traffic location, its is not uncommon to see long lines at the business’ drive-thru lane. The existing Middletown Township location was converted from a Krispy Kreme about 14 years ago.
John Martinez, a development manager for Chick-fil-A, said the building would have a “state-of-the-art kitchen and new facility.” He also said the new location would not have a playground, noting the pandemic led to the the fast food chain eliminating them from designs and using the space for more seating.
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COVID-19 has led to Chick-fil-A focusing more room for mobile ordering operations, which has proved extremely popular, Martinez said.
Chick-fil-A has already obtained a variances from the zoning heard board for hours of operation – 6:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday – and impervious service.
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After conversations with township officials, Chick-fil-A agreed to make the exit for the dual-lane drive-thru area one lane.
Traffic studies were carried out by Chick-fil-A and found lunchtime would likely be the busiest for the location.
Several residents that spoke during public comment raised worries about traffic in the shopping centers that surround proposed location.
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One resident worried about how many people would use Heartwood Road to cut through from Trenton Road to the shopping center with the fast food eatery.
“We’re going to have tons of traffic backed up,” resident Michael Gay told planners.
Credit: Tom Sofield/LevittownNow.com
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Resident Bob Feather, a former school board member, raised concerns about the traffic layout of the shopping centers, noise from trucks idling overnight, and trash that blows from the shopping center into the neighborhood.
Feather called for the township to talk to residents and the owners of the shopping centers to fix the problems, including the “traffic nightmare.” He added he had no objections specifically to the Chick-fil-A plans, but the general area needed some improvements.
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Rich Nuttall, the vice chairperson of the planning commission, said he liked Chick-fil-A, but said tabling the plan would give some time for options to improve traffic in the area to be discussed.
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