Some Concerns Raised Over Proposed Chick-Fil-A In Milford

MILFORD, CT — The ever-popular chain Chick-fil-A is seeking to add a Milford location. Documents filed with the city show the fast-food restaurant is applying to open a 1357 Boston Post Road store.

The restaurant at the Milford Crossing plaza would include a two-lane drive-thru where employees would be outside taking orders and payment during peak times. The location is proposed in the city's Shopping Center Design District, which doesn't specifically allow or prohibit drive-thru service, so a special exception will be required for the project to move forward.

The proposed restaurant would be 5,097 square feet. The drive-thru would need a "10-car waiting position" for each lane, according to documents filed with the city. A project representative said at a Planning and Zoning Board meeting Tuesday night that the dual-lane drive-thru design is in line with the "newest improvements" Chick-fil-A has made.

The restaurant would include 90 seats inside and 16 more seats on an outdoor patio.

At the Planning and Zoning Board meeting, board members expressed concerns about the plan's impact on parking, traffic flow, and pedestrian safety at the site.

The parking lot would require 68 parking spaces for the restaurant, with 125 spaces reserved for the existing Barnes & Noble building. The restaurant is planned to be constructed in the existing parking lot, reducing the number of overall spaces at the site.

Board members questioned why the restaurant couldn't be built on another part of the site. However, the total number of spaces for the shopping center would still be 1,758, which is within zoning regulations.

A project representative at the Planning and Zoning meeting said that parking to the south of the restaurant will be used for employees. There will be a raised crosswalk with a signal light that goes from the parking area to the Chick-fil-A.

City Planner David Sulkis noted that drive-thru restaurants approved by the board have typically included a bypass lane as well, calling it a "good practice" and noting that the proposed Chick-fil-A has no such lane.

A project representative responded that the dual-lane system allows Chick-fil-A to dedicate one lane as a bypass during off-peak hours. Then during peak hours, employees would be able to direct traffic as needed.

Two residents spoke on during the public hearing portion, both of whom questioned whether Milford needs another fast-food chicken restaurant.

The project will be on the board's agenda at its next meeting, which is scheduled for Aug. 5.

Other tenants at Milford Crossing include Walmart, Marshalls, Home Goods, Staples, and Petco.

Chick-fil-A currently has 16 Connecticut locations, with those nearby in Shelton and West Haven. The chain is known for its fried chicken sandwiches and waffle fries.

The West Haven store is drive-thru only and opened last year.

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