Lawrence has moved one step closer to getting its first Church’s Chicken.
Earlier this month, the Board of Zoning Appeals granted a request from Lahu, L.L.C., the company that owns the land, to reduce the parking lot setback of the 1400 W. Sixth St. property. Up to that point, Zarif Haque, the land’s owner, and his agent, Terrence Campbell, had faced opposition to their site plan for the new restaurant. The initial plan failed to meet city-zoning ordinances, and their variance request had to meet five conditions of Lawrence’s land developmental code.
But, with the request granted, Haque solved a problem that had been holding the plan back since they submitted it the last week of February.
“When we proposed the original plan, the city gave us a long list of requirements,” Campbell said. “We could not meet these requirements without first dealing with the 15-foot parking setback. Our variance dealt with the setback, and now that they have approved it, we can move on to smaller issues.”
Paul Patterson, one of the two planners working on the project, represented the city at the March meeting. He explained to the five board members the conditions that the variance needed to meet. After the meeting, Patterson realized the importance of the board’s approval.
“Having their request granted allows Mr. Haque and his company to do something different and more aesthetic with the setback,” Patterson said. “It gives them more space, which is ultimately the biggest issue with their plan.”
Though the variance brought Haque closer to a workable site plan, it did not guarantee a building permit. Through the Metropolitan Planning Office, Lawrence requires all site plan applicants to follow a strict process before any construction can take place. Four weeks after Haque’s Jan. 24 pre-application meeting with Mary Miller, the other city planner for the project, he submitted his plan. Miller saw problems with the plan already.
“They have a sort of pork chop setup for the drive-through, where the customers’ cars exit towards oncoming cars at the Sixth Street entrance,” Miller said. “Even the police said they were worried about potential traffic and safety issues.”
Patterson and Miller sent the site plan to 15 city departments; these agencies are reviewing the plan and have 21 days to respond either with their approval or with more changes Haque must make to the plan. Campbell would not discuss the specific remaining problems with the plan, but he said most of the issues arise from having to deal with surrounding businesses and residences.
One of these residences lies just north of the property, adjacent to the parking setback. Joe Barnes and his wife have lived in the house for more than 30 years. Though the couple is not opposed to the restaurant’s construction, Mr. Barnes doesn’t know how the plan has even made it this far.
“When I found out they were trying to make the property into a restaurant, my first reaction was shock,” Barnes said. “With all the traffic that comes around here, I thought there’d be no chance the city would consider building another restaurant in the area.”
Even though the plan’s review period concludes March 19, Haque realizes he then must revise the plan so that it features all changes the departments require for its approval. Haque hopes to obtain a building permit by this summer so that construction can begin by August or September.
Campbell said that he knows reaching an agreement with the city can be a tedious process, but he thinks that the plan already got through the hardest part.
“It’s all still a work in progress, going back and forth between the city and us,” he said. “But, getting the variance was a big deal, so we don’t have much doubt that our plan will eventually go through. By this fall, there should be a Church’s Chicken in Lawrence.”