Beavercreek council approves PUD modification for Panda Express at Fairfield Commons

The Beavercreek City Council approved a major modification to Planned Unit Development (PUD) 88-21 on the first council meeting of 2025, clearing the way for a Panda Express restaurant at 2761 Fairfield Commons.

City staff and the project architect described the proposal as a 2,400–2,500 square‑foot restaurant on roughly 1.365 acres that would replace an existing bank building. The applicant said the design follows the chain’s recently introduced “Panda Home” prototype and includes two drive‑through lanes, a 16‑vehicle drive‑through stack, about 50 parking spaces and enhanced landscaping. Colin Carville, the city planner, said the Planning Commission unanimously approved the modification and staff recommended council approval subject to 12 conditions.

The applicant, Eric Ablin of Heights Venture Architects, described the operator’s community engagement and the new design language. “This particular Panda Express is part of the new Panda Home concept,” Ablin said, adding that the prototype emphasizes an elevated interior and family dining experience and uses a durable Fiberon material and stone base on the exterior.

Carville told council the site sits on the mall’s northern side adjacent to a Raising Cane’s and a Courtyard Hotel. “The property is a former PNC Bank,” Carville said, “that was a much larger building.” He said staff estimated stacking from the order point at about nine vehicles but noted additional informal stacking in the parking area. Staff reported the building height at about 23 feet and said the applicant will provide three ADA spaces within roughly 50 total parking stalls.

Council members asked about the 15‑foot retaining wall at the corner of the site, pedestrian connectivity and whether the white exterior materials are easy to maintain. Ablin said the retaining wall will be modular block and will include vehicular and pedestrian guardrails where necessary; he said Panda Express maintains regular cleaning protocols and that the exterior materials have performed well in other markets. On vehicle stacking, the applicant said operators monitor the queue using cameras and can use cones and staff direction to route overflow through the parking lot rather than into the adjacent streets.

The motion to approve the PUD modification cited that the application materials satisfied the standards in section 158.066 of the Beavercreek zoning code; council approved the motion by voice vote with no recorded opposition. Following the vote, council authorized the applicant to proceed with the site plan subject to the conditions recommended by staff and the Planning Commission.

Votes at the meeting were recorded in sequence and no council member registered opposition during the vote on PUD 88-21. The City will require the applicant to submit final construction plans and satisfy the 12 staff conditions before building permits are issued.

The approved plan calls for demolition of the existing bank building, a pushed‑forward building orientation to improve drive‑through circulation, and construction of a new sidewalk along the eastern property line to improve pedestrian connectivity to Fairfield Commons. Staff said an updated set of landscaping plans is expected prior to permitting.

Council closed the public hearing after no public commenters came forward and then approved the application.