Chick‑fil‑A development review: staff peer traffic review finds no intersection degradation; applicant to make minor revisions

Mary Gibbs updated council on the Chick‑fil‑A development application for the Ben Hill Griffin/Corkscrew site. Planning staff received a resubmittal from the applicant's consultant (Bowman) that addressed several Planning & Zoning Board comments: additional foundation plantings, a sidewalk connection to Ben Hill Griffin, enhanced dumpster screening and a finalized color palette.

On traffic, the applicant's engineer and the village's peer reviewer analyzed external road links and intersections and concluded the project would not degrade level of service on Ben Hill Griffin or Corkscrew. Mary said the site design includes a double drive‑thru with approximately 41 stacking spaces and that simulations indicate the drive‑thru queues should not back into adjacent parking or access lanes. Staff asked the applicant to shift internal access slightly south, improve internal circulation and make minor plan revisions before staff issues the development order.

Council members raised concerns about dumpster distance for service vehicles and potential collision history at the site; staff noted four crashes over four years but said the engineering analysis found the proposed configuration appropriate. Staff also discussed coordination with Publix regarding parking reconfiguration but said interactions have been preliminary.

What happens next: the applicant will complete the minor revisions requested and staff will proceed to issue the development order when comments are resolved.