Chicken run may end for one Dunwoody proposed drive-through on Ashford Dunwoody Road

Rendering of Raising Cane s design for a location on Ashford Dunwoody Road Courtesy of City of Dunwoody Key Points Several city council members questioned the impact that the restaurant would have on an already-crowded corridor Raising Cane s representatives declared the region supports the restaurant and that the traffic impact would be minimal Members of the Dunwoody City Council at its Nov meeting voiced serious concerns about granting a Special Land Use Permit that would allow a drive-through fast-food restaurant on Ashford Dunwoody Road Raising Cane s is petitioning for the SLUP in order to construct a square-foot restaurant with double-drive-through facility lanes on a -acre site at Ashford Dunwoody Rd The site formerly housed a bank and has been vacant for about two years The site had already been approved by the council for a zoning change from O-I Office-Industrial to PC- to allow for a restaurant as an accepted use A staff memo summarizing the SLUP request declared that it recommended the application be denied for a variety of reasons including concerns about the proximity of its curb cut to a nearby McDonald s the impact on the egress and ingress at a nearby hotel and the amount of traffic it would attract on an already-crowded corridor The Dunwoody Planning Commission also voted at its September meeting to recommend denial of the application Several members of the panel solicited pointed questions about traffic studies conducted by Raising Cane s with several citing comments made by Le Meridian Hotel s Matt Munoz who revealed the guests at the hotel would be adversely affected by the proposed drive-through I thought that the Raising Cane s was in the rearview window Munoz reported My concerns over traffic have not been assuaged Council Member John Heneghan mentioned his major concern in granting the SLUP is centered on the probable impact it could have on neighboring properties I am hearing from the Le Meridian that they would be adversely affected and I take that very seriously Heneghan revealed Mayor Lynn Deutsch noted it should be no surprise that she opposes the project Even as early as I mentioned this was something I could not sponsorship she communicated Raising Cane s representatives Specific of your competitors are building fast food restaurants without a drive-through Raising Cane s representatives declared the group did an extensive traffic evaluation using simulated facts and representative information from the company s Buford location They commented the studies show that traffic disruption would be minimal because of protocols that would be put into place at peak hours and during the first weeks of opening Related story Raising Cane s proposes new restaurant on Ashford Dunwoody Road DHA hears Raising Cane s proposal for a new quick-service restaurant We ve studied studied studied this thing to death Raising Cane s Harold Buckley mentioned adding that Raising Cane s intends to sign a -year lease and has pledged as they have done historically to backing the district One person spoke against the matter and several attendees held up signs in sponsorship of the project during Raising Cane s presentation The matter will be taken up again at the council s Dec meeting In other news the council after holding a populace hearing delayed at the request of the developers deliberations on a zoning change and SLUP at a property across the street from Perimeter Mall another request that Dunwoody s staff felt should be denied The matter will be taken up at the council s Jan meeting The property located at Perimeter Center East has been a chameleon over the past years The plan which has been modified at least five times over the past years in the latest iteration lessened its density and reduced the number of options for the site In the fifth version of the enhancement the three-story building proposed in the fourth version was divided into one two-story building and one one-story building and the -story building which developers yearned to be a hotel age-restricted apartments or owner-occupied condominiums has now returned to the original approved use age-restricted apartments A city staff memo did not recommend the rezoning and SLUP for passage saying that the general concept of a mixed-use enhancement with limited surface parking new open space street-front dining and retail with a residential or hotel component is consistent with the intent of the PC- zoning district but the inclusion of a drive-through is problematic At its Aug meeting the Dunwoody Planning Commission recommended despite the staff s objections rezoning and a SLUP to allow the -acre site to be redeveloped that would include retail age-restricted apartments and a drive-through restaurant which is tentatively identified as Chicago-based Portillo s In other action the council voted to accept a donation from the estate of Dr Betty Wills tobe used for the purchase installation and maintenance of American flags in all parks in the city According to a staff memo Wills was known to the Parks Department as the Flag Lady as she traditionally planted American flags in each Dunwoody park adopted a parks master plan at Homecoming Park on Vermack Road that will include sand volleyball courts recognized the th class of graduates of the Dunwoody Police Academy approved a major master sign plan for Campus that includes way-finding canopy signs awnings and painted mural signs voted to rezone a building on Shallowford Road from O-I Office Institution to C- Local Commercial to allow an animal hospital veterinary clinic heard highlights from Dunwoody City Manager Eric Linton s monthly record The post Chicken run may end for one Dunwoody proposed drive-through on Ashford Dunwoody Road appeared first on Rough Draft Atlanta