By David Kosub (Contributor)

Many words have already been written about the forthcoming Chick-fil-A development at the current site of the KFC-Taco Bell at Riggs Road NE and 3rd Street NE (see here, here, here, here, and this entertaining Next Door rant here). Well, I had some more after reading the District of Columbia’s proposed Comprehensive Plan, currently open for public comment. As the Chick-fil-A development is expected to be discussed at the January ANC 4B meeting, I would like to provide a few more thoughts for consideration related to the visual character and environmental impact of this project in our neighborhood.

As I previously wrote about, the 2009 Small Area Development Plan for the South Dakota Avenue NE and Riggs Road NE corridor refers to the existing KFC-Taco Bell as an “opportunity site” for future development. Opportunities exist, as the plan notes, to have future development set back from the street allowing for a visually strong corner to be created with aesthetically unified, pedestrian-friendly, street-facing retail. Furthermore, as the plan goes on to say, future development should  consider accommodating aesthetic “landmark elements,” such as public art, open space, and vegetation, to “truly create a sense of place and assist with reestablishing the intersection as the heart of the neighborhood.”

To fully be the “heart of the neighborhood,” this intersection must be considered for streetscape improvements. Any future development should recognize this too. Similar to what is touted in Policy UNE-1.2.1 of the Upper Northeast Element of the Comprehensive Plan, such streetscape enhancements would make this intersection more visually appealing, professionally landscaped, pedestrian friendly, clean, safe with appropriate lighting, harmonious and respectful of existing structures, as well as convey a sense of local charm and culture. This goes for buildings and amenities that currently exist, together with those that are being planned for future development.

The aesthetics of the property must flow and connect with adjacent public assets, such as the triangle park on the southwest corner of the intersection, and future planned developments, such as the EYA project on the southeast corner. Wherever possible, native plants, shrubs, trees, and other vegetation should be installed to help address environmental objectives established by the District, such as mitigating storm water run-off, water and air quality improvement, and habitat restoration (Policy UNE-1.2.8), which also has the added benefit of beautifying our surroundings. Undergrounding power lines would also serve to enhance the visual character too. Any outside seating areas affiliated with the restaurant should be inviting, buffered from street noise, and a welcoming place to eat and socialize. Finally, the developers and operators of the facility should work with the South Dakota Avenue Clean Team to ensure this site remains clean as well as free from graffiti and other urban detritus.

The Comprehensive Plan also recognizes the value of green and open spaces in our city. For instance, in Chapter 8 focused on Parks, Recreation, and Open Space (PROS), it notes “the need for parks may be more critical in some areas of the city due to…denser development patterns without the aesthetic amenities afforded by open space.” Though I understand the developers are not looking to create a new park at this site, the need for green and open space still exists and can be addressed with their project.

In Policy PROS-1.4.3, for example, green space could “enhance the connectivity of parks and open spaces throughout the city [and could] be an important planning and design consideration, particularly where multiple large adjacent sites are being redeveloped,” such as in our neighborhood. The plan goes on to say that “small pocket parks, plazas, and other open spaces should be created [in employment growth areas[ to provide visual relief and space for outdoor seating” (Policy PROS-1.4.6). If indeed the new Chick-fil-A will have a walk-up order option for pedestrians, then perhaps it could be encouraged to develop “outdoor plazas…for public benefit and to encourage tree planting, public art, sculpture, seating areas, and other amenities” (Policy PROS-4.3.2). The District government may even provide “incentives for new…buildings to include green roofs,” rain gardens, landscaped open areas, and other common open space areas that provide visual relief and aesthetic balance” (Policy PROS-4.3.3).

Improving the visual character of this site aligns with the overarching goal of the Urban Design (UD) element of the Comprehensive Plan. This element aims to “enhance the beauty and livability of the city by…reinforcing the identity of its neighborhoods, harmoniously integrating new construction with existing buildings and the natural environment, and improving the vitality, appearance, and security of streets and public spaces” (Urban Design Goal 901). South Dakota Avenue NE, where the new restaurant will look out upon, could be an opportunity for the developers to help “reinforce the form and identity of the city, connect its neighborhoods, and improve its aesthetic and visual character” (Policy UD-1.4.1), with particular priority on higher design standards and a positive image. Such higher standards would contribute to activating this commercial area, “create visual interest through well-designed building facades, storefront windows, and attractive signage and lighting” (Policy UD-2.2.5). Finally, the plan does recommend requiring “streetscape improvements by the private sector in conjunction with development or renovation of adjacent properties” (Policy UD-3.1.11).

To further enhance the visual character of this site, I encourage the developers to partner with the community wherever possible to help provide needed resources to reactivate the triangle park on the southwest corner of the intersection. Private financial support [could help[ the District’s park and recreational facilities” (Policy PROS-2.2.6), such as through public-private partnerships for recreational purposes (Policy PROS-2.2.7). I recognize this is a by-right project replacing one fast food restaurant with another, so something like a community benefits agreement is unlikely, but having Chick-fil-A provide resources to improve the green space nearby would benefit all involved. Moreover, as noted in Policy UD-3.1.8, such public spaces could be activated through “the design of adjacent structures; for example, through the location of shop entrances, window displays, awnings, and outdoor dining areas,” which is also important for the developers to consider.

Paraphrasing the Comprehensive Plan one final time, open and green space provide many benefits to the form and flow of a neighborhood. A balance between development and open space is critical for our neighborhood to continue thriving, the psychological wellbeing of current and future residents, and the aesthetic qualities of the city. If you plan to attend the January ANC 4B meeting and/or reach out to your ANC Commissioner about this project, I appreciate your support to ensure this project, and any others in our neighborhood, consider these important green, environmental visual enhancements to neighborhood development as well.  

I finally got my hands on renderings for the Chick-fil-A planned to replace the KFC/Taco Bell at 220 Riggs Road NE, courtesy of ANC Commissioner Alison Brooks (4B08). Also, a neighbor sent me a Reuters article entitled, “U.S. restaurants remove dining rooms to speed off-site food frenzy.” It describes the use of so-called “dark kitchens” and the real estate and labor cost savings that result from providing service only via drive-thru or pickup windows for mobile orders:

The newest Chopt Creative Salad Co location, which opened Tuesday in New York, is unlike any of the chain’s other 61 sites. It has no cash registers or tables for customers.

Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A Inc has similar sites in Nashville and Louisville, where customers order and prepay online with the option for delivery or pickup.

Chick-fil-A is also trying something different, opening three pilot “delivery kitchens” this year – in Chicago, Los Angeles and near San Francisco. The latter is run by delivery platform DoorDash Inc.

At those sites, the chicken chain shares kitchens with other restaurants to prepare food for delivery only.

Off-premise digital orders are a major growth area for fast-food and fast-casual chains. More are turning to these so-called dark, virtual or ghost kitchens, which can also save labor and real estate costs.

“U.S. restaurants remove dining rooms to speed off-site food frenzy” by Hilary Russ, available at https://www.reuters.com/article/us-fastfood-kitchens-idUSKBN1XP1A1

Unclear if that is what is going on for the location planned for this neighborhood, which will be drive-thru only with a walk-up window. But as I mentioned before, 2,600 square feet is more than enough space to have interior seating, so surely the decision not to include interior seating is a business cost decision, not one based on “room.” And if that space is not being used for interior seating, then what is it being used for. Plenty of businesses have figured out how to streamline mobile order and pickup while also providing standard in-person ordering and dining. This is a by-right project, but ANC 4B should find out exactly what Chick-fil-A is planning for this location.

Edit: Media also report on Chick-fil-A’s recent change in charitable donation priorities.

Blog contributor David Kosub did a nice job of explaining why swapping fast-food for fast-food at a major intersection in the neighborhood represents not much of an opportunity in this post. Here are my thoughts on Chick-fil-A that I originally started composing as a way too long comment to his post.

1. Make community engagement useful. Chick-fil-A representatives are scheduled to attend ANC 4B’s meeting on November 25. I hope they bring at least a basic one-pager/fact sheet with an overview of the project, the process, timeline for when certain steps of the process will take place, construction plans, and answers to questions already asked by residents that can be posted on 4B’s website so that everyone is on the same page. This is basic community engagement and even though this is a by-right project, Chick-fil-A should want to be a good neighbor and there should still be a basic level of engagement.

2. Make the public space permit process useful. We have been told that the only public comment process required for this project is DDOT’s public space permit process. ANC 4B will have an opportunity to comment on Chick-fil-A’s application once that is submitted. I really hope DDOT and the development team have some fantastic ideas about how to manage accessing this corner location. As David mentioned in his post, I do think there is also an opportunity to make this space as attractive as possible for that corner, especially if Chick-fil-A is going to be leasing this space for many years. The existing KFC building is not an eyesore to me, but if the Chick-fil-A team is going to knock down two buildings (one of which is an eyesore) and put up an entirely new one, might as well make this corner as visually appealing as possible. For example, they could do a lot with native landscaping to deal with stormwater runoff. How they design the outdoor seating and the exterior of the building, having adequate trash receptacles, placement and containment of their dumpster, all those are things that I hope they are prepared to address. And I do hope The Parks Main Street will present some ideas to Chick-fil-A for this part of the process.

3. Provide traffic mitigation measures. At the Lamond-Riggs Citizens Association (LRCA) meeting on November 4, the Chick-Fil-A representatives noted that there will be a dual lane for ordering, which they say will allow the location to accommodate more cars on the lot and minimize the number of cars in the street. But I am guessing there will still be lots of cars idling in the street. We know that Chick-fil-A is just very popular and people are completely willing to wait in long drive-thru lines for their food (no judgment, just fact). A traffic study still needs to be done, but I would like to know what other mitigation measures they will take, such as utilizing traffic control officers if that becomes necessary or staff to walk the lines to speed up the order process.

4. Have interior seating. They could not answer the question of how much of the buildable lot (the KFC plus the former Dakota Liquor building next door) they are using for the building itself. As noted, the new building will be approximately 2,600 square feet, which is a fairly decent size for an operation that is not planned to have interior seating. I am not sure how big the current KFC is, but I am really curious about why they say there is no room for interior seating. For comparison the Five Guys at Fort Totten Square, which does have interior seating, is roughly 2,200 square feet. I suspect the decision has more to do with staffing decisions and construction and business financing than “room,” but that is just speculation on my part. I do think having a little bit of interior seating would be better and make this a more walkable location, especially if they really do keep the number of parking spaces minimal at nine or less. I am curious how many public restrooms there will be. To me, what would be even better is if they built a location like the one in downtown Silver Spring. Of course I have to acknowledge that there are large parking garages in downtown Silver Spring for people to park, which we do not have in this neighborhood. And of course they are attracted to this location precisely because it already has a drive-thru so they do not have to jump through hoops to put one in. Still, parking and interior seating do not have to go hand-in-hand and this location should have interior seating.

5. Support the community and support local. The Chick-fil-A representatives are likely aware of the reputation of its owners, who support anti-LGBTQ causes. The representatives made a point of noting that while Chick-fil-A corporate is responsible for leasing, purchasing equipment, and building out each restaurant, each Chick-fil-A has its own operator who is responsible for hiring and who decides what kinds of groups to support. This distinction between the corporate owner and the franchise operator is a point that has been made before in response to protest. This distinction of course might not matter to some, but if Chick-fil-A does get this location off the ground, people should not be shy in recommending how this location can support community groups.

6. This could be a good opportunity for the neighborhood, maybe. Objectively speaking, Chick-fil-A is probably a higher quality fast food restaurant than KFC/Taco Bell (don’t @ me). When you look at the Vibrant Retail Streets Initiative that was done for this neigborhood in 2015, Streetsense and DC’s Office of Planning stated that for a neighborhood like this one with a few long-term businesses and an untested retail market with a slew of new development on the way, the goal should be to continually seek to upgrade retail options to get to the retail that we really desire (see Part I: Market Analysis; Part II: Retail Attraction; Part III: Start at Step One). For example, a Subway may become a Panera Bread (just an example for the Subway lovers out there). So from that perspective, having a Chick-fil-A replace a KFC/Taco Bell would be moving in the direction of “better” for the neighborhood, especially if the Chick-fil-A has interior seating, and might be a good way of proving the market for more desirable retailers.

That said, as an aside, I am a little curious what other retailers, particularly food and beverage retailers, have approached or been approached by this particular property owner (and others in the neighborhood). I know that this is not the first time Chick-fil-A has shown interest in this particular location, so when I hear things like XYZ retailer is not interested in the neighborhood or the other myriad excuses for not having a sit-down restaurant, I do suspect something else is going on, like seeking a lease rate that is kind of ridiculous. I believe The Parks Main Street is working on a strategy for retail attraction so that it is not done haphazardly and residents do not feel like things are just being dropped on the neighborhood with no regard to impact because they are by-right projects (like a 117,000 square Walmart or a planned Chick-fil-A drive-thru with no interior seating at a major intersection).

These are just my thoughts on how we can help the ANC help us try to maximize what little opportunity may exist as we go through this process. I do hope people will provide constructive feedback to ANC 4B as we move forward.