Chick-fil-A To Replace Exxon in Hillsborough After Zoning Approval

The Hillsborough Township Zoning Board of Adjustment approved plans for a Chick-fil-A restaurant with drive-thru service at the corner of Route 206 and Triangle Road on May 6. The board voted 5-2 to grant the application after lengthy discussions about a use variance for a drive-thru.

The restaurant chain will tear down an Exxon gas station at 296 Route 206 to build a 5,400-square-foot location. Current zoning rules don’t permit restaurants with drive-thru facilities on the property.

The company requested approval of a D1 use variance, four C bulk variances, and nine waivers for the site design. Concerns about the Master Plan prompted two board members to vote against it.

“The problem I have is with the D1 variance. This is something that is unique to this property for a drive-thru,” one board member said, according to Patch. The board member pointed to the Master Plan that does not allow drive-thrus in that area.

Another board member questioned why the site requires a drive-thru rather than a sit-down restaurant. “Why can’t a conforming sit-down restaurant succeed here. Why is a drive-thru necessary for this specific site?” the board member said.

The approval came with a long list of conditions. Those requirements include compliance with the board engineer’s review letter, on-site accommodation of drive-thru queuing, and continued attempts to secure a permanent cross-access connection to the nearby Triangle Tropic Shopping Center.

Other conditions include stormwater fees, township site visits for parking and traffic operations, a special-event review for the grand opening, and limits on hours of operation. Anti-idling signage was required. Lighting controls too. No certificate of occupancy can be issued until Route 206 and Triangle Road improvements are completed to the satisfaction of the New Jersey Department of Transportation and the board engineer.

A company representative told the board after the vote that the chain is excited to come to the township.

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