Consent 1.C.
Regular City Council Meeting
- Meeting Date:
- 06/08/2015
- TITLE
- Development Agreement, 326 North 20th Street
- PRESENTED BY:
- David Mumford
- Department:
- Public Works
Presentation:
PROBLEM/ISSUE STATEMENT
Cynthia Johnson purchased property at 326 North 20th with the intent of remodeling the building and opening a southern style chicken and seafood restaurant. The restaurant will have a drive-thru window for take out orders. The owner has worked extensively with staff and her design professionals to develop a drive-thru layout that will fit the existing site. Traffic queues at drive-thru windows are very sensitive to order and service times. Because this is a local "one-of-a-kind" restaurant rather than a chain restaurant, there is no existing site to observe or national data to draw on to predict drive-thru usage or services times. The owner has agreed to a limited menu to reduce order & service times and has adjusted the interior layout of the building to maximize the on-site queue storage for the drive-thru.
Because the drive-thru will be served off 4th Avenue North, staff is concerned that if problems develop they will impact a major street. As part of the traffic evaluation required by the site development ordinance, this agreement was created to give the City the right to require changes to the drive-thru if there are recurring problems with drive-thru traffic impeding traffic on 4th Avenue. To give the owner time to adjust restaurant operations, learn to predict peak drive-thru times, and not penalize the restaurant for the higher than normal crowds that often accompany the opening of a new restaurant, the agreement provides a 75 calendar day startup period. Council members may recall the heavy traffic associated with new drive-thru operations such as Sonic or Krispy Kreme that eventually gave way to significantly reduced drive thru demand.
Included in the packet are conceptual drawings of the drive-thru layout and the exterior design of the proposed remodel of the existing building on the property. The project still has to go thru the normal building permit review process and approval of this agreement does not constitute final approval of the development. Please note the project is in the EBURD zoning district and no off-street parking is required.
Because the drive-thru will be served off 4th Avenue North, staff is concerned that if problems develop they will impact a major street. As part of the traffic evaluation required by the site development ordinance, this agreement was created to give the City the right to require changes to the drive-thru if there are recurring problems with drive-thru traffic impeding traffic on 4th Avenue. To give the owner time to adjust restaurant operations, learn to predict peak drive-thru times, and not penalize the restaurant for the higher than normal crowds that often accompany the opening of a new restaurant, the agreement provides a 75 calendar day startup period. Council members may recall the heavy traffic associated with new drive-thru operations such as Sonic or Krispy Kreme that eventually gave way to significantly reduced drive thru demand.
Included in the packet are conceptual drawings of the drive-thru layout and the exterior design of the proposed remodel of the existing building on the property. The project still has to go thru the normal building permit review process and approval of this agreement does not constitute final approval of the development. Please note the project is in the EBURD zoning district and no off-street parking is required.
ALTERNATIVES ANALYZED
City Council may:
- Approve the agreement, or
- Disapprove the agreement and require the restaurant to eliminate the drive thru window; or
-
Disapprove the agreement and direct staff to allow the drive-thru without the ability to require changes if traffic problems are created in 4th Avenue.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
There is no direct financial impact to the City.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends City Council approval of the development agreement.