Chester planning commission tables drive‑through restaurant plan amid stormwater, traffic and sidewalk concerns

The City of Chester Planning Commission on Sept. 10 tabled a preliminary/final land development plan for a drive‑through restaurant proposed on a parcel at East Fourth Street and Harris Boulevard, citing unresolved stormwater, traffic and pedestrian‑access concerns and outstanding review comments from planning, engineering and other agencies.

Planning and zoning director Paul Fritz summarized the department's review letter and asked the applicant for additional information, saying, “this drive through restaurant isn't allowed use in the C2R. It does appear to meet all dimensional requirements on the parcel,” and listing items the applicant must supply, including hours of operation, a zoning comparison table, facade details, sidewalk and ADA access plans, lighting foot‑candle readings and utility‑meter screening.

The nut graf: Commissioners and staff focused on whether the site can safely handle vehicle stacking, pedestrian circulation and stormwater detention. Collier Engineering, the city's municipal engineer, raised concerns that the site sits in a 100‑year floodplain and that proposed infiltration basins could be compromised by floodwater or legacy industrial contamination, matters Collier said must be resolved before final approval.

Scott Mill of Van Cleef Engineering Associates, the project's landscape architect, and Jeff Brown, the project engineer, presented revisions since a December 2024 sketch plan. Mill said the team preserved the front row of mature sycamore trees, relocated the dumpster to improve service access and added a sidewalk from the building to East Fourth Street. He told the commission the site plan shows 30 parking spaces and a drive‑through lane with room for 11 cars of stacking on site.

Jeff Brown said the applicant will pursue required permits with the Delaware County Conservation District and work through technical stormwater comments in subsequent plan revisions. Collier's reviewer, Ron Madison, warned that the site is partially within the 100‑year floodplain and said, “if the waters outside the basin flood the site, then the basin itself can't operate properly,” and cited additional concerns about whether infiltration is appropriate on a former industrial (Act 2) site and whether DelCora will accept any proposed outfall because of ongoing combined‑sewer overflow consent‑order limitations.

The applicant's attorney, David Shafowitz, said Harris (the landowner) will sign agreements as owner and that the developer is the tenant responsible for construction: “Harris does own the property. They will continue to own the property. We're a tenant. We have a lease. The lease requires us to do all this work and the lease then requires us to install all the work.” Nash (Naresh) Patel, who the applicant identified as the operator, described Dunkin' drive‑through operations and said the proposed layout includes company‑recommended stacking; he noted corporate performance targets that assume short service times and said the design provides 11 stacking spaces and additional on‑site capacity.

City clerk Candace Newsome urged caution on traffic and pedestrian safety at the nearby 291/Second Street corridor and asked to see the traffic study; Collier had requested a traffic‑consultant statement in its Sept. 5 review letter and the applicant agreed to provide one.

The Planning Commission voted to table the application pending resolution of outstanding items from the planning department, Collier/engineering, the Shade Tree Commission and the city solicitor's office. The motion passed with no nays or abstentions recorded.

Next steps: the applicant will submit requested clarifications and technical responses (lighting diagrams, a zoning compliance table, detailed stormwater calculations, a traffic statement and Dumpster enclosure details), Collier and the Delaware County Conservation District will continue technical review, and the commission will reconsider the plan after the applicant addresses the listed items.