Richardson planners approve special development plan for Ayat restaurant, limit drive-through to pickup orders

The Richardson Planning and Zoning Commission on Tuesday approved a special development plan allowing Ayat restaurant to occupy the former Wendy’s building at the northwest corner of South Sherman Street and West Spring Valley Road, but limited the location’s drive-through to pickup orders only.

City planning staff told commissioners the site is zoned Planned Development (PD) under the city’s Main Street Central Expressway form-based code and sits in the Rail Side subdistrict of the Transit Village place type in the Envision Richardson comprehensive plan. Ms. Peters, city planning staff, said the applicant seeks a special permit to reestablish a drive-through and a special development plan to address several nonconformities created when the prior Wendy’s drive-through use lapsed in 2023.

The special development plan — which will run with the land — passed on a 4-3 vote; commissioners voting in favor outnumbered those opposed. Commissioners debated the appropriateness of reintroducing a menu-board-driven drive-through at an intersection the city is trying to redevelop for walkability and transit-oriented uses.

Why it matters: The commission’s action preserves the restaurant’s ability to operate and adds outdoor seating while narrowing the scope of drive-through activity. The decision balances reuse of a long-vacant commercial site against the city’s pedestrian-first vision for the Sherman Street corridor.

Key facts and proposal details - Location: northwest corner of South Sherman Street and West Spring Valley Road (former Wendy’s site). - Applicant/owner representation: John Martini, real estate broker; developer presence noted as Sammy Gibran. - Proposed operator: Ayat, a sit-down, fast-casual Mediterranean restaurant. - Building/site changes: modest exterior updates, a covered east-side patio of roughly 300 sq. ft., screening for rooftop equipment and repainting. No new glazing proposed on the west elevation. - Drive-through: existing single-lane drive-through infrastructure will be reused (two pickup windows on the south side, a single-lane stacking capacity of about 10 vehicles). Because drive-through rights were deemed abandoned after the prior use lapsed, a new special permit was required. - Landscaping/parking: site provides about 16% landscaping (exceeds 10% minimum) and 45 on-site parking spaces. - Hours proposed as condition of the special permit: 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Debate highlights - Several commissioners praised the patio as contributing to walkability and transit-station activation, citing precedent with nearby projects such as Jasmine’s patio. - Opponents argued a menu-board, speaker-based drive-through conflicts with the Transit Village place type and would undermine the intended pedestrian character of Sherman Street. Concerns focused on traffic, sightlines at a prominent corner and the fact the special development plan would “run with the land,” making exceptions long-lasting unless formally amended. - The applicant, John Martini, said corporate deed restrictions placed by Wendy’s (limiting hamburger sales) had kept the building vacant for several years and that the operator saw the drive-through/pickup option as important for financial viability and flexibility (including online ordering and curbside pickup observed during COVID). - Commissioners discussed possible compromises; staff noted an option to remove the traditional ordering speaker/menu board while permitting pickup windows or preordered pickup as an enforceable condition.

Commission action and conditions - Action: The commission approved the special development plan and modified the special permit to allow pickup orders only (the motion specified no traditional menu-board ordering apparatus and limited drive-through functionality to pickup). The commission attached standard conditions requiring conformance with the approved concept plan and elevations, a building permit in accordance with the Comprehensive Zoning Ordinance, and the specified hours of operation. - Vote tally by count: 4 in favor, 3 opposed. (The official minutes list the tally as recorded at the meeting.)

Clarifying details from the hearing - The existing building is set back about 40 feet from Sherman Street; the PD’s build-to zone requires 75% of the front facade to be within 15 feet of the property line. - Sidewalks: existing sidewalks measure 5 feet along Sherman and West Spring Valley; PD streetscape standards call for 8 feet along Sherman and 12 feet with an amenity zone along Spring Valley. The applicant said relocation of utilities and a retaining wall make full compliance difficult without extensive reconstruction. - Site history: former Wendy’s operated with a drive-through beginning in 1994 but vacated in 2023; the applicant purchased the property and sought to reestablish a drive-through use that had lapsed.

What’s next The commission’s recommendation and the special development plan will be incorporated into the administrative records; any future owner seeking expanded uses or lift of the special development plan’s limits would need to return for an amendment. The special permit as modified is limited to Ayat as the operator per the staff presentation and is conditioned on the hours and the concept elevations approved at the hearing.

Sources and attribution Quotes and attributions are drawn from the Planning and Zoning Commission hearing record and staff presentation. Ms. Peters (City of Richardson planning staff) presented the case; John Martini represented the applicant.

Ending note Commissioners signaled that the site’s long vacancy and corporate deed restriction complicated reuse options; the commission’s compromise preserves the patio and site activation while restricting full drive-through ordering that some commissioners said would be inconsistent with the Transit Village vision.