Plan Commission recommends special permit for Chick‑fil‑A driveway expansion on West Campbell Road

The Richardson City Plan Commission on March 18 recommended approval of a new special permit to allow Chick‑fil‑A to reconfigure and expand its drive‑through lanes at 106 and 110 West Campbell Road.

Staff told the commission the property is zoned Commercial (CM) with an existing special permit for a drive‑through restaurant, and the application seeks a new special permit to replace the existing one to accommodate an expanded drive‑through configuration. The proposal would not change the building façade but would reconfigure parking and circulation to create a dedicated mobile–order lane and increase vehicle stacking.

According to staff, the project keeps the property’s allowed parking total — 40 spaces — and increases drive‑through stacking from 16 to 27 vehicles. The concept plan shows the existing inbound lanes changing from three to two where they merge, a red mobile‑order only lane on the left, and two purple customer drive‑through lanes; staff said the plan confines more queued vehicles inside the drive‑through lanes to reduce overflow into the parking area. The expansion will require a follow‑up replat because the drive‑through will extend onto a narrow sliver of land at 110 West Campbell that is shared with the adjacent property; staff estimated that strip is roughly five to six feet wide.

Chick‑fil‑A representatives said employees will help manage peak‑hour queuing and that the mobile‑order lane and additional stacking will “alleviate traffic congestion, expedite the ordering process” and reduce overflow. The applicant’s representative gave the applicant’s business address as 220 East Central Parkway, Altamonte Springs, Florida.

Commissioners asked whether a bypass lane would remain usable and whether a traffic study was required. Staff and the applicant said the bypass lane is not currently functional in the existing configuration and no traffic study was required for this application because it is intended to better manage existing traffic rather than generate new traffic. Staff confirmed three feet of separation would remain between a relocated landscape island and the new drive‑through lane, and that replaced plantings will be required where shrubs are removed.

Public comment was not offered. Commissioner Bonsek moved to recommend approval as presented; Commissioner Beach seconded. The commission voted unanimously to recommend approval, with the special permit to be limited to the area shown on the concept plan and to terminate automatically upon change of ownership or operator, and with the restaurant to be constructed in substantial conformance with the concept plan and attached elevations.

The recommendation now goes to city council; the special permit will be subject to the conditions noted in the staff report and the zoning ordinance’s operating‑time restrictions.