Board OKs conditional use for drive‑through restaurant at John Rees/West Broad; signal required

The Pataskala Board of Zoning Appeals approved a conditional use Aug. 12 permitting a quick‑service restaurant with a drive‑through on Parcel 3 of a multi-lot commercial development at John Rees Parkway and West Broad Street.

The proposed parcel is just under one acre and would host a roughly 2,330-square-foot building with 34 parking spaces (including two accessible stalls), a drive-through lane on the west side of the building with a bypass lane and a dumpster enclosure opening to the east. Staff noted the property lies within a Transportation Corridor Overlay District and will require a TCOD site layout review by the planning and zoning commission before final site plan approval.

Staff reiterated the development-wide condition requiring a traffic signal at John Rees Parkway and West Broad Street as previously included with the Starbucks approval for an adjacent parcel; they also listed technical comments from public service and utilities regarding stormwater pond capacity and sewer availability. The applicant team said prospective users typically fit the proposed building footprint and drive‑through configuration; the developer confirmed ongoing marketing activity and reiterated commitments to landscaping, masonry dumpster enclosures and buffering.

After reviewing the nine conditional-use criteria, the board found the use compatible with the general-business zoning of the site, will not be hazardous to surrounding uses with the planned screening and access improvements, and will be served by public facilities subject to permit review. The board approved the conditional use with conditions requiring the applicant to address public-service and utility comments, implement the conditional use within six months or seek an extension, and install the required traffic signal and intersection improvements.