Planning commission recommends Chick‑fil‑A land‑development approval with safety and circulation conditions

The Warren Township Planning Commission on a unanimous voice vote recommended that the Board of Supervisors approve Chick‑fil‑A’s preliminary/final land‑development application, but only after the applicant submits revised drawings and the township engineer verifies conditions intended to address parking, pedestrian safety and drive‑through circulation.

The commission’s recommendation follows a detailed review of the project’s revised materials, including canopy and appearance renderings, adjusted ADA stalls, and a traffic memo submitted by Dynamic Traffic. Pat Downey, the project traffic engineer, told the commission the ordinance calculation produced a requirement of 66 spaces while the Chick‑fil‑A parcel will contain 44 on‑site spaces; his on‑site counts showed demand of roughly 65. The applicant said it will park about 25 team members off‑site so customer parking within the parcel is adequate and has negotiated overflow parking rights with the Regal theater lot.

The commission’s conditions target pedestrian safety and clear circulation. The chair read a package of required revisions that the commission will ask the Board of Supervisors to enforce: make the rear entrance exit‑only; install a prominently marked crosswalk and pedestrian‑crossing signage at the rear entrance; add on‑site directional signage to route overflow parking to the Regal lot; add signage discouraging parking in the IHOP lot; install delineators/bollards and add pavement striping and directional arrows through the pickup area; add wayfinding signs at the rear entrance indicating 611 North and South; and revise C1A to show handicapped spaces consistent with plan requirements. All revised plans must be reviewed and approved by the township engineer before the matter goes to the Board of Supervisors.

Commissioners pressed the applicant for operational proof that a dual‑fulfillment (two‑lane) pickup configuration will operate safely on this constrained property. Several members requested turning‑radius templates, photos or short videos of comparable two‑lane Chick‑fil‑A sites to illustrate circulation, and asked that the engineer verify that the proposed delineators and striping prevent unsafe short‑cuts across the site. Commissioner concerns centered on team‑member safety — many staff are high‑school students who walk between cars — and on potential conflicts where pickup lanes and parking aisles converge.

Chick‑fil‑A representatives said the canopies and LED lighting are a safety measure for team members and that delivery and dumpster access explain some site geometry choices. Doug Wolf, with Chick‑fil‑A Inc., said the company prioritizes team‑member safety and that similar dual‑lane layouts have operated without reported incidents at other locations.

The commission moved and seconded the conditional recommendation; members voiced “aye” and the motion carried. The chair asked that the final, revised plans be submitted to the township engineer for verification before the application is sent to the Board of Supervisors. The Board’s next meeting relevant to scheduling was noted as August 12.