Prince Frederick, MD – The applicant for Calvert County’s first ever Chick-fil-A location plans to go before the local Board of Appeals in early February seeking permission to reduce the number of parking spaces the restaurant would be required to provide. The applicant for the new restaurant, which would be located off Route 2/4 (Solomons Island Road) in Prince Frederick is identified in documents as CG Properties LLC of Clinton, applying on behalf of property owners Modesto S. Rivera, III, and Freda K. and Maurice T. Lusby III.
The applicant is requesting a maximum 15 percent reduction of the required number of on-site parking spaces. Under the Calvert County Zoning Ordinance the fast food location would be required to provide 84 parking spaces. If granted the 15 percent reduction, the franchisee could reduce the number to 72 spaces.
Two affected property owners—the Calvert County Commissioners and M & S Limited Partnership of Newton Highlands, MA—have indicated in writing they support the request. However, A third affected property owner—Ruby Tuesday Inc.—is objecting to the request. The restaurant chain, which is based in Maryville, TN—did not provide a specific reason for its objection. TheBayNet.com has contacted Ruby Tuesday’s corporate headquarters for an explanation. A call to the restaurant chain’s public relations specialist had not been returned as this story was being filed.
The objection means the applicant cannot be granted an administrative variance but instead must make the request for the variance to the Board of Appeals.
“The request is based on extensive experience of Chick-fil-A stores throughout the U.S.A. demonstrating a need for less than the required number of spaces,” stated Dan Kelsh of Collinson, Oliff and Associates Inc. (COA) in a memo to the Calvert County Board of Appeals. “Generally the fast food chain requires an average of 47 to 51 spaces at peak times of operation.”
During a presentation before the Calvert County Planning Commission last September, Kelsh said the fast food restaurant would be located on two adjacent parcels off the southbound lanes of Solomons Island Road just south of Market Square Shopping Center. The existing Route 2/4 access will remain and a secondary access across from Costley Way is proposed in hopes of removing some of the traffic from the state road. Chick-fil-A would be leasing the property. The restaurant would include a drive-through window.
The Calvert Board of Appeals meeting is scheduled for Thursday morning, Feb. 2.
Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com