Title
SP 2021-19, Chick-fil-A @ Westfork Plaza, 15901 Pines Boulevard, site plan application. (Joseph)
Summary Explanation and Background
SUMMARY EXPLANATION AND BACKGROUND:
PROJECT DESCRIPTION / BACKGROUND:
Dwayne Dickerson, agent for Chick-Fil-A, is requesting consideration to demolish an existing restaurant outparcel (former Sweet Tomatoes restaurant) at Westfork Plaza and construct a Chick-fil-A restaurant with drive-thru along with associated parking, traffic circulation, canopies, lighting, signage, and landscaping. The subject site is located at 15901 Pines Boulevard.
Westfork Plaza was approved by the Planning and Zoning Board at its October 10, 1996 meeting (SP 95-85). Several amendments to the Westfork Plaza site have been processed over the years with the most recent and noteworthy changes being in 2015 with the addition of several outbuildings to the site as well as significant parking and traffic circulation modifications throughout the shopping center.
The City Commission at its May 5, 1999 meeting approved the site plan for the subject Sweet Tomatoes restaurant outparcel (SP 99-2).
In 2021, the City received the following applications at the subject site for consideration:
• SP 2021-01 - Bombshells Restaurant. Site Plan request to build a new restaurant on the subject site.
• ZV 2021-01 - Parking Variance request for Bombshells Restaurant.
• ZV 2021-02, ZV 2021-03 - Sign Variance requests for Bombshells Restaurant.
The Planning and Zoning Board at its March 11, 2021 meeting voted to defer the variance requests above to the April 8, 2021 meeting. The applicant for the Bombshells restaurant ultimately decided to withdraw the variances and site plan applications from consideration after receiving that deferral from the Board. The site currently remains vacant.
The Planning and Zoning Board at its June 15, 2022 meeting voted to defer this item at the request of the applicant to tonight’s meeting.
BUILDINGS / STRUCTURES:
The proposed one story drive-thru restaurant will be 27’-4 1/4” in height (highest point) and 4,642 gross square feet in area. The applicant proposes the following color selections for the building:
• Body Color - STO White, Adobe Brown
• Parapet Coping - Midnight Bronze
• Storefront / Canopies / Scupper / Downspouts- Dark Bronze
• Roof tile - Boral Old World #3
A portion of the drive-thru service area to the east of the building will be covered by a +-55’ (l) x 26’ (w) canopy. The 9’-8” tall flat roofed canopy will have a clearance of 9’-6” in height.
ACCESS / PARKING:
The applicant proposes to provide 52 parking spaces for this plan where 44 spaces are required based on proposed use. The parking area immediately adjacent to the restaurant building / main pedestrian walkway will be protected from vehicular intrusions by a series of bollards.
Access to this site will remain through the existing driveways within the shopping center off of Pines Boulevard and Dykes Road. The main entrance to the proposed Chick-fil-A restaurant will located through a new access opening at the northwest corner of the parcel. The existing driveway at the north side of the site will be converted to egress only use and shifted +-80 feet westward from its current location, further away from the shopping center spine road intersection to the east. The egress only lane serves as an exit for vehicles using the drive-thru and allows for safe exit for emergency vehicles, garbage trucks and food delivery trucks.
A dual use drive-thru service area is proposed with the stacking starting on the west side of the property, extending along the south and eastern perimeters of the site. The dual drive-thru as proposed is designed to accommodate a 46 car stack (37 from menu board). The applicant proposes menu boards, clearance poles and speaker boxes (CFA Red color) associated with the dual drive-thru facility. Stacking, as proposed, exceeds Code requirements.
SIGNAGE:
The following signs are proposed for this restaurant:
• West Building elevation - 30.81 square feet script Chick-Fil-a logo (Red Channel Letter)
• North Building elevation - 30.81 square feet script Chick-Fil-a logo (Red Channel Letter)
• East Building elevation - 30.81 square feet script Chick-Fil-a logo (Red Channel Letter)
Southeast corner of the site - A 7’-6” tall, 24 square foot monument sign displaying the business logo in white of a red background. White lettering with the text, “Closed Sunday” on a gray panel.
A +-20 square foot menu board will be provided at each of the two drive-thru lanes for service. The menu boards will be located in the drive-thru lanes to the south of the proposed building.
In addition, a 30 foot flagpole is proposed in a parking island immediately to the west of the proposed restaurant building.
LANDSCAPING:
The following landscape is being proposed for this site:
Installation of 25 trees, 669 shrubs and 356 Ground covers. Primary species of trees include Gumbo Limbo, live Oak and Dahoon Holly. Primary species of shrubs and ground cover include Clusia, Green island Ficus, Dwarf Fakahatchee and Blueberry Flax Lily.
LIGHTING / ACCESSORY STRUCTURES:
Two dumpsters with an enclosure will be provided in the southwest corner of the proposed restaurant parking area. The enclosure will be painted to match the base color of the proposed buildings. The proposed dumpster locations have been reviewed and accepted by WASTEPRO and found to be acceptable.
The parking areas for this restaurant will be illuminated by a series of 4000k LED fixtures (bronze) mounted on 25 foot high concrete poles. Additional lighting will be located on the building as well as under the drive-thru canopy. The lighting as proposed for this site conforms to commercial lighting standards per Section 155.685-155.692 of the City Code of Ordinances.
ECONOMIC IMPACT:
The applicant provides staff with an economic impact statement regarding the project. According to the applicant, the proposed project represents a $7 million dollar investment in land and construction costs. It is anticipated that 90 permanent jobs will be created as a result of this project. The project is also expected to generate approximately $42,000 in yearly city tax revenue.
OTHER SITE FEATURES:
The applicant has also provided a sustainability statement for this project as required by Section 155.6121 of the Land Development Code. The proposed location will utilize a variety of energy efficient upgrades such as high efficiency air conditioning units, low e glazing on the building, cool roof system, low flow toilets, LED lighting, and the use of native landscape species highlight the list of efforts that will be built as part of this project.
RECOMMENDATION:
Staff has reviewed the site plan and finds that the proposal meets all land use, zoning and plat requirements for the development of this type restaurant on this outparcel. City staff has concerns about the impact the Chick-fil-A may have on the existing main intersection (spine road) into the Westfork Plaza. The subject intersection of concern is part of the Westfork Plaza parcel and therefore not controlled by the applicant.
Both the City, Chick-fil-A attorney, and development team conducted on-site observations of the traffic flow at the Westfork plaza intersection and discussed possible long and short term improvements to make navigating through the area more intuitive to patrons. The applicant provides the City a letter offering to work with the shopping center owner to coordinate intersection improvements moving forward. The applicant has also agreed to working with FDOT and shopping center ownership on potential improvements to the left hand turn lane on Pines Boulevard which services the shopping center.
STAFF RECOMMENDATION:
Approval, subject to the applicant coordinating with the adjacent shopping center owner on improvements to the main intersection into Westfork Plaza and coordinating with FDOT on improvements to Pines Boulevard as represented in the letter from the applicant.