Council introduces conditional‑use permit for Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken at 988 Bridal Road after public comment about CID taxes

The O'Fallon City Council on Oct. 9 introduced an ordinance to grant a conditional‑use permit for Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken at 988 Bridal Road to allow a restaurant with a drive‑through in a C‑3 highway commercial district. Mark Hunter of Netlease Properties, the developer’s consultant, presented the site plan and said the proposed building would total about 2,400 square feet and include a drive‑through lane.

"We are more than excited to be, hopefully entering the city of O'Fallon... We anticipate a spring start once the thaw is complete. It's probably a 4 to 5 month build depending on weather," Mark Hunter said, projecting a late‑summer 2026 opening if the schedule holds.

A public commentator, Arnie C. A. C. Dinoff, objected to the application because the site lies within a community improvement district (CID) and he said additional sales tax levies would be unfair to residents. "I can't support this application because it falls within a community improvement district," Dinoff said, and asked the council to require clear signage notifying patrons about the additional sales tax. Hunter replied that as a tenant they do not receive CID proceeds; in council discussion staff noted the tenant would not receive CID proceeds.

Council members took no final vote; they introduced Bill 7792 for first reading. The ordinance will return for further consideration consistent with the city’s public‑hearing and conditional‑use procedures.

No explicit change to the CID structure or tax rate was approved at the meeting; public concern focused on transparency and whether patrons entering the site would be informed about special taxing arrangements. Council members did not adopt Dinoff’s suggested signage condition at the meeting.