Is Chick-fil-A going to take former Ruby Tuesday site?
The former Ruby Tuesday restaurant on Lincoln Highway in Middletown might become the second Chick-fil-A in the Langhorne area.
Middletown Chick-fil-A to share parking lot with Lowe's
The owner of the property, Wilkinson Langhorne L.P. of Florida, plans to ask the Middletown Zoning Hearing Board for variances and a special exception to construct a 5,428 square-foot building with 50 parking spots and multiple drive-thru lanes, after demolishing the closed Ruby Tuesday.
The popular chicken and lemonade restaurant will be located in the same shopping center as Lowe's and a Wells Fargo Bank.
More: Middletown may not get that second Chick-fil-A after all; here's why and what's next
Chick-fil-A has another drive-thru restaurant further north on Lincoln Highway at its intersection with Oxford Valley Road.
It had planned to open a second restaurant in a subdivided parcel in the parking lot of the Langhorne Square shopping center directly across the highway from Ruby Tuesday, but that plan was delayed and the owner of the subdivided parcel, Waterstone Properties of Massachusetts, planned to start marketing it for other commercial uses.
Richard Wilkinson, president of Wilkinson Development Corp., said he received written confirmation from a representative of Chick-fil-A (CFA) that the lease agreement with CFA for the Langhorne Square parcel was terminated by CFA by letter dated Feb. 22, 2023. Otherwise, he said, Wilkinson would not be pursuing the approvals from the zoning hearing board.
"Wilkinson Langhorne LP is operating in reliance that CFA is not further pursuing any other site within Middletown that would compete with our site and accordingly is seeking the requisite approvals from the township," he stated in an email.
What variances does Chick-fil-A need?
The Wilkinson plan will go before the zoning board June 14 when the board meets in the Middletown Township Municipal Building, 3 Municipal Way.
The application includes requests for a special exception to allow a restaurant with a drive-thru or takeout service, as well as variances to allow a restaurant with a drive-thru component in the M-1 Light Manufacturing Zoning District, for a 30-foot rear yard setback where 75 feet is required; to allow for parking ratios of 3.93 spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross leasable area where 4.5 feet is required; and to allow the Chick-fil-A to open at 6 a.m. when 7 a.m. is the required time.
The property is approximately 1.93 acres and is in the C (Commercial) and M-1 zoning districts.
Chick-fil-A could not be reached for comment Monday afternoon.
This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Chick-fil-A may open second Middletown drive-thru site next to Lowe's
