The owner of a future drive-thru Popeye’s chicken outlet promised to bring 100 jobs to the Quinnipiac East neighborhood — and make sure pedestrians don’t get run over.
Owner Rashman Hashimi made that promise to the City Plan Commission.
The commissioners last week ultimately approved Hashimi’s plans to transform two parcels of land — one at 350 Foxon Boulevard and another at 1263 Quinnipiac Ave.— from a rundown corner into a new Popeye’s chicken outlet.
But first commissioners expressedconcers about how cars will get in and out of the site and about the overall safety of pedestrians traversing the sites wrap around drive-thru. (The Board of Zoning Appeals had previously approved a special exception for the drive-thru. Read about that here.)
Hashimi plans to demolish all the existing buildings on the two parcels, which include a gas station and a single-family home, to build the 60-seat Popeye’s restaurant. He currently owns nine Popeye’s outlets in New York (where he lives) and Connecticut, though not the existing Popeye’s restaurant on Whalley Avenue.
His attorney, Bernard Pellegrino, said that the restaurant, which will be much larger than New Haven’s existing Popeye’s, will bring about 100 new jobs, many of them full time. He said the owner believes that many of those jobs will be filled by people from the Quinnipiac East neighborhood. “He’s happy and excited to make this commitment,” Pellegrino said.
Westville Alder Adam Marchand, who also is a City Plan commissioner, raised concerns about restaurant patrons being allowed to turn left after leaving the drive-thru onto Quinnipiac Avenue. He also questioned the wisdom of customers turning left off of Quinnipiac and immediately needing to make a quick right and in a seemingly sudden fashion being confronted with a pedestrian crossing area.
Driving customers will be able only to make a right turn out onto busy Foxon Boulevard. Marchand suggested that Hashimi consider doing the same on Quinnipiac. His attorney said that ultimately the state might make that decision since it still has to OK the plans, given that Foxon Boulevard is a state road. City Plan staffer Anne Hartjen said that if the state requires any substantial changes, Hashimi would have to come back before commissioners.
Commissioner Leslie Radcliffe also expressed skepticism about the drive-thru, which requires customers to essentially drive around the building to access it. They would also have to drive around the building to access parking.
“People have drive all the way around to enter the the drive-thru, and people coming off the sidewalk have to cross two lanes,” she said. “That just seems like a really dangerous way to do things.” She pointed out that the restaurant would be located in an area that has a number of multi-family units, and many of those people would likely be walking to the restaurant, not driving.
Markeshia Ricks Photo
Hashimi (pictured), assured commissioners that he has another restaurant with a near identical footprint, and he’s never had any problems with pedestrians navigating the parking lot. The site plan calls for “three striped and raised pedestrian crossing: a 10’ walkway from the parking lot across the drive-thru lane; a 13’ walkway across a driveway from the Quinnipiac Avenue sidewalk; and a 23’ walkway across both the drive-thru lane and driveway from the Foxon Boulevard sidewalk,” according to the City Plan report. The restaurant also will have a five-spot bicycle rack outside its front door for employees and customers.
He said when the restaurant pens not only will there be employees in the parking lot to direct traffic, but there will also be valet parking and a police presence. Hashimi said, however, that alders’ concerns had resonated with him and he might continue to maintain an employee presence in the parking lot to help direct traffic.
“If anything happens, the liability, is all on me,” he said. “I’m shut down.” Hashimi said he plans to start building the restaurant in May and finish in about 100 days.
Mr Hashimi is going to have 24 staff members in the building 24-7?