Planning commission recommends approval of McDonald’s two‑lane drive‑through expansion

On June 5, 2025, the Leesburg Planning Commission voted to forward an amendment to an existing special exception for the McDonald’s at 335 East Market Street (TLSPEX‑20240013), recommending approval with conditions intended to reduce drive‑through backups onto East Market Street while limiting off‑hours impacts from deliveries.

Staff told commissioners the applicant seeks to convert the existing drive‑through into two ordering lanes (which merge to a single pickup window), reconfigure parking and co‑locate a limited loading zone. Planner Debbie Perry said the applicant provided 13 stacking spaces (the ordinance requires 10) and the proposal reduces on‑site parking from the previously required 40 spaces to 30; staff recommended the reduction with conditions and cited a parking study and the store’s reduced interior seating.

Perry said the restaurant has 37 seats today; staff amended condition language to reference the existing 37‑seat capacity and the parking justification supplied by Kimberly Horne. She described a loading‑zone modification that allows truck deliveries to colocate in an area that will be closed to general traffic between midnight and 5 a.m.; staff recommended approval contingent on those delivery‑hour limits and additional circulation controls that would close the outermost second drive‑through lane during deliveries. The proposal does not expand the building footprint; changes are limited to restriping, reconfiguration of the drive‑through lanes and relocation of some parking.

Transportation staff found no significant new trip generation and concluded the second lane is intended to improve on‑site circulation rather than add capacity. Applicant representative Evan Pritchard of the law firm Wiregill said the change reflects a national McDonald’s operational shift toward takeout and mobile ordering; he said similar lane reconfigurations have reduced drive‑through queuing at other stores. Commissioner questions addressed the merge procedure (staff and the applicant said employees are trained to sequence orders to avoid conflicts, and staff can assist when necessary) and whether the second lane would add physical curbing (the applicant said the lane is created via striping rather than an additional curb).

No members of the public signed up to speak. Commissioners who had used or observed the site’s drive‑through during peak hours expressed support for the plan, citing frequent backups onto East Market Street and limited in‑lot parking during lunch. A motion to forward TLSPEX‑20240013 — including the special‑exception plat dated 05/22/2025 and revised conditions addressing parking, deliveries and circulation — to Town Council with a recommendation of approval was read, seconded and adopted by the Commission.

The staff conditions recorded at the hearing included the reduced parking plan, a reference to the parking study justifying the reduced spaces, the 37‑seat interior capacity cap, restricted delivery hours (midnight–5 a.m.), and operational requirements to manage drive‑through flow and vehicle circulation on site. The item will be scheduled for a Town Council public hearing and final action.