Morris Plains Zoning Board Labels Chick-fil-A Application Incomplete

In a recent meeting, the Morris Plains Zoning Board deemed the application for a Chick-fil-A drive-thru expansion incomplete due to various deficiencies. The application, known as BA 324, lacked sufficient details for eight required checklist items, and the applicant sought waivers for an additional 16 items. One notable issue was the expansion of the current drive-thru to maintain two lanes around the building, which requires minor site plan approval and a variance from the Zoning Board.

During the meeting, the Borough Engineer, William Ryden, outlined the eight deficiencies which included incomplete names of property owners within 200 feet of the project, missing track boundary lines, and insufficient details of the proposed canopy elevations, among others. Furthermore, the applicant did not provide a copy of the proposed notice or the updated list of property owners as required by the ordinance.

Elizabeth Leheny, the Borough Planner, pointed out additional concerns, such as incorrect zoning districts identified on the cover page of the engineering plans and the need for an updated list of property owners, given that the list provided was eight months old. She also emphasized the importance of understanding the signage for the drive-thrus and proposed canopy elevations, which were among the waived items.

The Board did not receive any testimony from the applicant to address the waiver requests or deficiencies. Consequently, the application stands as incomplete, and the Board expects the applicant to return with a revised submission addressing all highlighted issues.

The meeting also included a public comment period, during which a member of the public inquired about the specifics of the Chick-fil-A application. The response clarified that the proposed change involved keeping two lanes throughout the entire drive-thru instead of merging into one.

Note: This meeting summary was generated by AI, which can occasionally misspell names, misattribute actions, and state inaccuracies. This summary is intended to be a starting point and you should review the meeting record linked above before acting on anything you read. If we got something wrong, let us know. We’re working every day to improve our process in pursuit of universal local government transparency.

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