Resuming a matter that was postponed from its March 26 meeting, the Concord City Council on Tuesday is expected to again take up a request to rezone a parcel along Willow Pass Road to accommodate a Chick-fil-A restaurant with a drive-thru window.
The issue isn't the fast-food restaurant itself, but rather the drive-thru window. The parcel in question, 1400 Willow Pass Road at the corner of Willow Pass Road and Franquette Avenue about a quarter-mile east of Interstate Highway 680, is zoned for fast-food restaurants but not for drive-thru windows. It is now where the closed Lin's Buffet building sits.
Chick-fil-A had earlier explored building a restaurant at 1225 Willow Pass Road (now the empty former Elephant Bar restaurant) and 1353 Willow Pass Road, which now hosts the new Gen Korean BBQ House.
And while those parcels were zoned for fast-food restaurants with a drive-thru, Concord city staff said they wouldn't have supported those locations for a drive-thru, citing concerns about effects on traffic, circulation and economic development in this district with several high-rise office buildings.
The city has similar concerns with the Lin's Buffet site, which currently is zoned for fast-food restaurants, but not with drive-thru windows.
This discussion is planned as a study session. The Concord City Council meeting begins at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the City Hall council chamber, 1950 Parkside Drive.
