Chick‑fil‑A representative asks board for public revisit of traffic‑improvement costs for proposed Lincoln Highway store

Tyler Prime, speaking for Chick‑fil‑A’s application at 1501 East Lincoln Highway, asked the board to schedule a public meeting to revisit traffic‑improvement costs after a traffic engineer’s estimate came in much higher than the applicant expected. “We had our own estimate which we provided,” Prime said, adding that the applicant was willing to re‑notice and discuss the matter publicly but believed the application itself remained open.

Township staff and board members told Prime that township manager Stephanie had sent an email earlier the same day and that the board’s consultants view the deceleration lane and associated safety improvements as critical conditions of the prior approval. A staff representative said the board is “not willing to reconsider that condition” unless the applicant substantially changes the project or files a new application. “There may be no point unless there are gonna be changes on your end that would make us view the condition differently,” one supervisor said.

Why it matters: The dispute centers on who bears the cost and feasibility of traffic mitigation tied to a commercial project on Lincoln Highway. If the applicant seeks to change the approved project design or resubmit, the board indicated it is open to reviewing a revised application; otherwise the board considered the previously established conditions final.

What was proposed and the parties’ positions: Prime told the board a condition of approval required the developer to place funds in escrow for Lincoln Highway deceleration‑lane improvements and that the traffic‑engineer estimate “came in at a million 4,” far above an earlier offer the applicant believed was approximately $100,000 for a traffic signal. Staff and board members countered that the deceleration lane is a consultant‑recommended safety measure that formed part of the earlier, public approval process and therefore cannot be reopened at the dais without a new or materially altered application.

Next steps: Prime left having requested a public forum; staff said they would follow up and indicated the applicant is welcome to resubmit. The board did not change any conditions during the meeting.