COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – Chick-fil-A wants to open up a restaurant in the former Rite Aid store at 450 East Chicago in Coldwater but a request for a front yard setback reduction variance for the one-and-a-half acre property was denied on Wednesday by the Coldwater Board of Zoning Appeals.
The P.E.A. Group, which is a civil engineering firm out of Auburn Hills, made the request to reduce the front yard setback from 25 feet to 15 feet next to U.S. 12 for a drive-through cantilevered canopy.
Leslie Accardo from the P.E.A. Group said in her request this adjustment was necessary to provide space for the second menu, board order point and drive-through lane.
She added the canopy is intended to protect employees and customers from sun exposure and inclement weather.
Z.B.A. Chair Gordon Swan expressed concerns about traffic.
Planning Director Bob Hawley indicated plans will come before the Planning Commission sometime in the future.
The staff of the Neighborhood Services Department felt the variance request did not meet the required approval standards and was not necessary to allow reasonable use of the property.
The Z.B.A. denied the request based on their finding of facts. The city’s Zoning Ordinance lists five conditions that must exist on the applicant’s property in order for a variance request to be granted.
In other business, the Z.B.A. decided to keep Swan as their Chair and Dave Sattler as Vice Chair for the next year.
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