The city is reviewing a site permit application for Atlanta-based Chick-fil-A to demolish its 24-year-old Hodges and Atlantic boulevards location and build a new restaurant.
Chick-fil-A wants to build a 5,772-square-foot restaurant with a modified site layout on the 1.26-acre property at 13375 Atlantic Blvd.
The site is at northeast Atlantic Boulevard and Joeandy Road near Queen’s Harbour Yacht & Country Club.
The permit is for the horizontal development at a project cost of almost $2.36 million.
In December 2022, Chick-fil-A Inc. said it anticipated the restaurant would be closed in late 2023 or early 2024, demolished and rebuilt in 2024, “and will include changes to better and more efficiently serve our customers.”
Chick-fil-A has not responded to questions this week.
It said in a statement Dec. 8, 2022, that Melinda Sowers will remain the restaurant’s operator and owner.
“We are working with the City of Jacksonville to approve plans and hope to continue making improvements to other Chick-fil-A restaurants in the area,” the company said then.
The chicken sandwich and tenders chain said on a 2022 site plan the project is part of its property reinvestment program to improve customer service and restaurant operations.
“Property improvements will include demolition of existing building and associated parking areas and the construction of a new Chick-fil-A restaurant with dual drive-thru, parking lot and infrastructure support,” said a plan filed then with JEA, the city’s utility, in a request for service availability.
The existing site of 1.17 acres along with additional property will create a 1.23-acre site.
CPH LLC is the civil engineer.
The application says Chick-fil-A will demolish the existing 4,268-square-foot building and build a 5,772-square-foot restaurant with 118 seats.
Joeandy L.C., a Jacksonville investment partnership, bought the property for $970,000 in 1998 from Queen’s Harbour Yacht & Country Club Ltd. and leased the land in 1999 to Chick-fil-A, property records show.
Chick-fil-A is renovating or relocation existing stores, often increasing drive-thru capacity, and building new restaurants throughout the area.
It has at least 23 locations in Northeast Florida, including licensed locations at the University of North Florida, Jacksonville University and Flagler College.
North Jacksonville Chick-fil-A under review
Chick-fil-A also is proposing a new restaurant in North Jacksonville that is opposed by residents and under review.
The City Council Land Use and Zoning Committee made no decision Feb. 21 on whether to recommend zoning approval for the proposed Chick-fil-A near the North Creek subdivision.
LUZ Chair Kevin Carrico deferred the issue until the April 16 meeting after a traffic study is completed.
Property owner RBSSSS LLC applied for rezoning to the Planned Unit Development to allow construction of the double drive-thru restaurant on a vacant 1.39-acre site between Duval Station and Lady Lake roads near the Publix-anchored and owned Duval Station Centre.
Chick-fil-A operates more than 3,000 restaurants in the U.S., Puerto Rico and Canada. In 2023, the company shared plans to expand by 2030 into Europe and Asia.
The family-owned and privately held restaurant company, founded in 1967 by S. Truett Cathey, is closed on Sunday.
It franchises the locations. Chick-fil-A owner-operators live and work in the communities.
Atlantic & Hodges location
Plans for the Atlantic and Hodges boulevards restaurant demolition have been in question after the city issued a permit Sept. 8 for Chick-fil-A Inc. to renovate its restaurant.
HMC Facilities Group LLC of Newnan, Georgia, is listed as the contractor for the $783,945 project.
Chick-fil-A intends to renovate, change kitchen equipment and perform other work.
“We are pleased to share that Chick-fil-A Atlantic & Hodges is currently undergoing a remodel to make overall updates to the restaurant, including improvements to the kitchen, to better and more efficiently serve guests,” said the company in an email June 12.
“The need for further improvements will be evaluated in the coming months.”