The Olympia Site Plan Committee heard a proposal to construct 4,987-square-foot one-story Chick-fil-A restaurant at 2930 Capital Mall Drive Southwest, Olympia, on Wednesday, June 1.
The location has been the site of Fujiyama Japanese Steakhouse for many years.
Project Engineer Estefania Escamilla, of Barghausen Consulting Engineers, said they are proposing the demolition of the existing structure and new construction of the fast-food restaurant with a concrete drive-thru, ordering canopies, an asphalt parking lot, trash enclosure, and associated utilities.
According to the project narrative submitted to the committee, there will be two vehicular access points, both located along Mall Loop Drive Southwest. The first is located northeast near the trash enclosure and the second is southwest, closer to the middle of the site.
Olympia associate planner Paula Smith said the property is in the design review district. The project is subject to review based on basic commercial and high-density design criteria. “A lot of it has to do with facades that face the high-density corridor street, which is Cooper Point Road.”
Smith also pointed out the sewer line that runs on the property along Cooper Point. “In this case, you would want to bring building up to the easement lines.”
If there are no easements, Smith said the city would require the developer to provide a 10-foot easement area. “We would be looking for your building to be placed right at that line. We would consider bringing it up to the street frontage.”
Parking requirements
Smith said the city requires 10 parking stalls per 1,000 square feet in a drive-thru or restaurant business.
The project proposed 80 parking stalls.
Smith said the developer is allowed 50 parking stalls based on the building size. “An increased parking over that amount would require parking modification.”
She explained that parking modification between 10% to 40% is subject to administrative review, while over 40% requires a hearing examiner decision. “I would encourage you to look at the criteria to be able to provide you a variance or modification for increased parking.”
Smith also touched on the perimeter landscaping. She asked the developer to provide landscaping on street frontages and parking stalls.
According to Smith, the developer’s plan did not meet the city code on parking lot aisles, which are at least 12 feet wide to accommodate a tree.
She added that the parking rows should accommodate landscaping islands, at least 114 square feet in size.
Smith also required the developer to provide them with a pedestrian access plan that shows where people walk to and through the development.
The plan should also include bicycle parking - short-term parking outside and long-term for employees, Smith told the developer.
Land Use review
The project triggers a land-use review, Smith commented.
“The city typically conducts a neighborhood meeting. The meeting would be sent out to property owners and business owners within 300 feet of the project site,” Smith said.
“The neighborhood meetings help provide information to the public about the plan and give them an opportunity to ask questions and bring up any concerns,” she added.
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jimlazar
Chick-fil-A and its executive shave a long history of anti-LGBTQ political activity. Initially it was done at the corporate level, but now seems to be carried out by the corporate executives in their own name.
The choice of this site may be related to that. Most fast food restaurants want an entry directly from a public street. This site has its only entry from within the interior roads of Capital Mall. That may enable them to prevent political protesters from gathering where people turn into the restaurant, as they will have done so at a major mall entrance, mixed with all other mall traffic. Once within the mall property, the mall security could remove protesters.
This company's politics will offend many in Olympia. I suspect they selected this property because of the buffer it provides against political protest. It makes no sense at all as a fast food location otherwise.
Once can find stories on the company politics easily.
https://www.esquire.com/food-drink/restaurants/a36622217/chick-fil-a-owner-donations-against-equality-act/
https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/5/29/18644354/chick-fil-a-anti-gay-donations-****phobia-dan-cathy
https://www.businessinsider.com/chick-fil-a-ties-to-anti-equality-act-effort****plained-2021-6
Saturday, June 4, 2022 Report this
northbeachcomm
The issue of the restaurant, Chick-fil-A having a presence in our community is a big issue. This restaurant is known throughout the USA to have policies that promote racism, ***ism, and anti- LGBTQ issues. We all know that money rules the world, and the way to fight these bad policies is to avoid buying their product, avoiding their store, picketing, or fighting their push into our neighborhood!
I remember when Ralph's Thriftway and Bayview Market (owned by same persons), downtown Olympia, did the same thing.
They have pharmacies in their stores.
In the 1980's they had an issued that they pushed;
they wanted their staff, their pharmacists to be able to refrain from giving women birth control;
"plan B" as it was called back in the 1980's, "the morning after pill".
The owners of Ralph's took this issue to the WA State Supreme court, etc, and the ACLU got involved.
My point is this; people still shop at Ralph's and at Bayview in downtown Olympia.
Maybe we should also re examine their involvement in a "Women's Right to Choose", just as we are
examining Chick-fil-A and their nation wide policies.
We need to BOYCOTT THEM!
Ralph's owners pushed legally, to stop woman getting their birth control. This is wrong.
Tuesday, June 7, 2022 Report this