Committee approves Planned Development rezoning at McMillan and Taft to allow Chick‑fil‑A amid traffic and walkability debate

Kyle Gibbs, a planner with the Department of City Planning and Engagement, told the Equitable Growth & Housing Committee that the request from Union on Taft LLC (a subsidiary of Uptown Rental Properties) is to rezone two parcels at 198 E. McMillan Street and 237 William Howard Taft Road in Mount Auburn to a Planned Development (PD) to allow a mixed‑use project that would include the existing Union on Taft apartment building and a new Chick‑fil‑A restaurant with a two‑lane drive‑through.

Gibbs said the site totals roughly 5.5 acres, with phase 1 already completed: the Union on Taft apartments (converted from office space in 2023) contain 103 student housing units, 180 parking spaces and an outdoor courtyard. Phase 2 is approximately 1.5 acres now used as surface parking; the proposed restaurant would be a one‑story, approximately 5,020 sq. ft. building with about 76 parking spaces, two driveway entrances (one on Highland Avenue and one on East McMillan Street), a two‑lane drive‑through and a small outdoor seating area. The applicant…