Council approves Wendy's site plan with modified access and required median on 180 Eighth Street
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Summary
Council approved rezoning and preliminary plat for a Wendy's restaurant site at Gardner Road and 180 Eighth Street with access modifications: staff recommended and council accepted restrictions on a Gardner Road driveway and required a median at 180 Eighth to control turning movements.
The council approved a rezoning from C‑3 to CP‑3 and the associated preliminary development plan and plat for a proposed Wendy's restaurant at the northwest corner of Gardner Road and 180 Eighth Street, with conditions addressing access spacing and a required median.
Why it matters: the project brings a national quick‑service restaurant to a high‑visibility corner; staff and the council focused on access management and public‑safety concerns related to driveway spacing on major arterials.
Staff advised the council that the proposed right‑in driveway on Gardner Road would be located roughly 220 feet south of the 180th/ Gardner intersection but the city's access-management code calls for 440 feet spacing on a minor arterial, so staff recommended removing the Gardner Road access. The applicant and the franchise operator said access to 180 Eighth Street and a right‑in on the curve is important for convenience and for drive‑thru operations; Legacy Restaurant Group (operator) and property owner John Peterson addressed the council and described business operations and community benefits.
Council conditions adopted in the approval require a raised median on 180 Eighth Street to restrict conflicted turning movements and a right‑in/right‑out configuration on the curve; staff and the developer agreed the median should be installed to prevent unsafe left‑turn and u‑turn movements that currently affect nearby Quick Trip and other businesses. The council discussed whether the city would fund the median as a public improvement and noted options such as using excise tax resources; staff said those funding approaches could be explored.
Action: the council adopted Ordinance 2842 (rezoning) and approved related preliminary plats and conditions; the planning commission had recommended conditional approvals that the council adopted with the access modifications described above.
Ending: final development and final plats will return for technical sign‑off and the developer will work with engineering staff on median design, right‑in configuration and any cross‑access easements to the north.
