Various changes to the Chick-fil-A on Madison Pike (KY-17) in Fort Wright got the stamp of approval from the Kenton County Planning Commission Thursday night.
Changes include the addition of a new drive-thru lane and the addition of dedicated turn lanes, all with the aim of reducing traffic and improving safety in the area surrounding the restaurant.
“This was motivated by safety improvements,” said Stacey Ranucci of CPH Consulting, the engineering firm contracted by the restaurant’s owner to plan out the work.
Ranucci and the restaurant’s owner and operator, Brent Linn, ultimately split the proposed changes into two parts. One part was submitted to the commission before the meeting, focusing primarily on the new drive-thru lane, while the other was submitted during the meeting. The changes at the meeting focused on the addition of dedicated turn lanes into the lot.
Linn described the traffic issues in and around the restaurant, which, at times, he said, can even stop nearby highway traffic due to the lines for the drive-thru: Drivers come in from Valley Plaza Parkway and fight for space in the single turn lane with drivers coming off of Madison Pike.
“So what this will do, it will give a dedicated lane to Valley, and then a dedicated lane straight in from 17, where they don’t have to fight with each other,” Linn said.
Regarding the new drive-thru, the proposal submitted before the meeting calls for the construction of an additional lane, which would require the removal of trees, other landscaping, and several parking spaces.
The drive-thru lanes’ width would be reduced, but the additional lane would decrease car stacking on the property. Additional curbs and transition lanes would also need to be installed. The number of parking spaces would be reduced by five, bringing the new total to 62 spaces.
The county’s planning professionals gave a favorable recommendation to the changes, with the additional recommendation of adding another crosswalk for safety.
There was discussion among the commissioners and the county’s staff about why the dedicated turn lanes hadn’t been submitted sooner, but most were in favor of them.
Commissioner Greg Sketch didn’t think the changes even needed to come before the commission, and Commissioner Jeff Bethell called the changes “an excellent idea.”
Megan Bessey, the principal planner with Kenton County Planning and Development Services, said the staff members were “pretty comfortable with the plan.”
Commissioner Kareem Simpson was the only one who showed some trepidation about the changes and the only commissioner who eventually voted against the changes. He thought the commission needed more time to consider the potential changes to the traffic patterns.
“It’s great for this business, but are there any repercussions or downsides to their neighbors?” Simpson said. “That needs to be looked at.”
The restaurant will still need to submit a final development plan to the commission before they can begin the work in earnest. No businesses or residents from the community spoke about the changes during the public hearing.