The Milton Planning and Zoning Commission will begin preliminary site-plan review for a proposed McDonald’s franchise at the corner of Route 16 and Union Street Extended at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 17, at Grace Church’s fellowship hall.

The project was officially sent for the planners consideration by town council Jan. 9, but not before council members submitted their own requests for changes to the plans. Should it be granted all approvals, McDonald’s is planning to open in 2024.

McDonald’s is seeking approval to build a 4,000-square-foot restaurant with a drive-thru in the Milton Park Center Shopping Plaza, colloquially known as the Food Lion shopping center. 

Bill Rhodunda, attorney for McDonald’s, said 70% of McDonald’s business is drive-thru service, while engineer Steve Fortunado said the configuration would include a side-by-side drive-thru configuration with two queuing lanes funneling to a pay window and a pickup window. Fortunado said this is generally standard design for a McDonald’s restaurant, but it does make the footprint a bit wider. 

The parcel is zoned C-1 commercial and the restaurant would include 60 seats, parking, drive-thru windows, landscaping, lighting and other improvements. Fast-food restaurants are permitted within the commercial district.

To accommodate the drive-thru and the expanded footprint, McDonald’s received three variances from the board of adjustment. 

Councilwoman Randi Meredith asked about pedestrian access and traffic. While she understands that most of McDonald’s business is car traffic, there are no crosswalks or walkway planned to allow pedestrians to get to the restaurant. Meredith said the entrance from Union Street Extended does have a sidewalk, but with McDonald’s there will be a lot more traffic going through that intersection. She said she would like to see McDonald’s address these issues during the site-plan review process. 

Mayor John Collier said while council does not have authority to grant land-use applications, he did suggest that McDonald’s make the look of the restaurant fit in more with the existing shopping center. McDonald’s draft elevations show a black facade with a sand-colored exterior. 

“This is kind of monolithic looking,” Collier said.

Fortunado said Collier’s concern would be considered in the plans. 

Councilwoman Annette Babich asked if McDonald’s would have a large, lighted sign for the restaurant. Fortunado said that is not in the plans; McDonald’s would have to go through a separate permit process for the sign.

Councilman Fred Harvey asked Fortunado to compare this proposed McDonald’s with others in the area. Fortunado said he did not have a direct comparison, but said it was mid-sized for a McDonald’s. 

YourSpace storage facility also on Jan. 17 agenda

Besides McDonald’s, Milton’s Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing on a preliminary site-plan for YourSpace Self Storage to build a storage facility on Route 16.

Owner Peak Management is seeking to build a facility with two buildings with more than 100,000 square feet of self-storage space. The three-acre parcel Peak Management wants to build on is an empty lot on Route 16 between Mulberry and Union streets that is zoned C-1 commercial. The complex would have a main building, a three-story, 113,000-square-foot facility and a one-story, 5,500-square-foot building, along with an office. In August, the planners granted Peak Management a special permitted use for the facility.

In addition, the planners will discuss the Town of Milton’s request for an amendment to the plat plan for Chestnut Crossing.