Chick-Fil-A

After issuing a zoning violation letter to Chick-fil-A this spring, Garfield Township is requiring the restaurant to address parking, backup, and circul...

“If you fail, then we’ve got traffic continuing to back up onto 31, which is our gateway to our community for all our visitors in the summer,” he said, adding that in that scenario “I think our only option is shutting you down for a period of time.” However, DeGood said he thought Chick-fil-A was “moving in the right direction,” adding: “You guys don’t want to fail, and we don’t want you to fail.” Sych echoed those sentiments, saying that part of the reason Garfield Township hasn’t started issuing fines or moved to revoke the restaurant's permit is that the township is trying to work collaboratively with Chick-fil-A to resolve its issues. It’s not like they’re hemmed in.” But with the restaurant already using more than half of the four acres planned for both Chick-fil-A and the hotel, any expansion work for Chick-fil-A parking or stacking means “there’s definitely not room for a hotel,” according to Sych. Sych said he’s been in touch with the hotel developer, who agrees the project would not be sustainable given the traffic issues on-site and would likely either look to purchase more adjacent property or find another location for the hotel. From there, Chick-fil-A would be required to go through a process to amend its SUP and get township approval on a long-term redesign of the property to include more parking and stacking room. Sych said he met with Larrea and expects the short-term solutions to include Chick-fil-A either buying, leasing, or getting an access agreement for property to the east to extend its driveway further back, allowing for “sufficient stacking on site.” More property would also allow Chick-fil-A to expand the paved parking area, Sych said. After issuing a zoning violation letter to Chick-fil-A this spring, Garfield Township is requiring the restaurant to address parking, backup, and circulation issues on the property before the summer tourism rush hits – or else face steps that could lead to Chick-fil-A’s permit being revoked.