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Board approves preliminary Planned Development for Chick‑fil‑A at former Big Boy site
Summary
The Hartland Township Board approved the Preliminary Planned Development site plan for a Chick‑fil‑A with drive‑through at 10587 Highland Road, after staff and the applicant addressed parking, striping and delivery concerns and trustees pressed for safety measures for dine‑in customers.
The Hartland Township Board on Jan. 13 approved the Preliminary Planned Development (PD) site plan for a proposed Chick‑fil‑A restaurant with a drive‑through at 10587 Highland Road, the former Big Boy site.
Planning Director Troy Langer described the proposal as “a Planned Development (PD) proposal” and outlined the three‑step PD process—concept, preliminary and final plans. The board was told the project would demolish the existing building but largely reuse the prior building footprint; final approvals and legal easements would be handled at the Final Plan stage.
Leslie Accardo, senior project manager with the PEA Group, presented the site layout, showing proposed outdoor seating, retaining walls, signage, and parking‑lane and landscaping revisions made after the planning commission hearing. The applicant said curbside pickup stalls would be located north of the dumpster enclosure and that deliveries typically occur “between midnight and 5:00 a.m.”
Trustee McMullen said she was concerned about safety where drive‑through lanes exit into the parking lot rather than onto an access road; the applicant replied that site constraints, grading and Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT) right‑of‑way limits on M‑59 constrained options but that they would evaluate added striping or signage to help customers reach the main entrance safely. Clerk Ciofu asked about striping to separate drive‑through lanes from parking lanes; the applicant said ground striping was planned.
The board voted to approve Site Plan/PD #26‑001 as outlined in the staff memorandum dated Jan. 6, 2026. Clerk Larry N. Ciofu moved to approve, Trustee Petrucci seconded, and the motion passed unanimously (voting yea: Supervisor Fountain, Clerk Ciofu, Treasurer Horning, Trustee Lubeski, Trustee McMullen, Trustee Petrucci; Trustee O’Connell absent).
The approval advances the project to the Final Plan stage, where easements, legal agreements and any remaining site adjustments will be addressed before a rezoning consideration to PD.
