Northwest Commission to Receive Update on Proposed Lake Avenue Chick-fil-A

The Northwest Commission will hear a proposal to allow a Chick-fil-A restaurant to open on North Lake Avenue near Orange Grove Boulevard.

The commission meeting is at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Jackie Robinson Community Center, 1020 N. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena.

According to a report by the restaurant, Chick-fil-A officials have worked closely with Planning Department staff for over two years, presenting plans and conducting outreach at a community open house.

So far, a conditional use permit, or CUP, has not been issued for the project.

The company team has produced at least 20 working designs and updated city officials on refined plans for the project, which include a new drive-thru that would allow for a maximum 26 cars, a new landscaping plan, improved lighting, and 21 new trees to go with seven existing trees growing at the site.

The restaurant, to be directly accessible from Lake Avenue, would have 40 interior seats and 30 to 35 patio seats.

Local residents praised the idea due to the possible job opportunities it would provide, and its location. The site is across the street from McDonald’s and formerly housed a Carl’s Jr.

At a District 5 Town Hall meeting in September 2019, local residents expressed concerns about competition in the neighborhood. There are already several chicken restaurants in the district, including a Roscoe’s House of Chicken and Waffles, a Popeye’s Chicken, and a KFC.

Residents also expressed concern over the possibility of greatly increased local traffic because of Chick-fil-A’s drive-thru service, as well as an increase in trash being strewn on neighborhood streets and private property as a result of a higher volume of customers. Those issues will be addressed in the CUP approval process.

Last year, Chick-fil-A was listed as the third highest-selling chain behind only Starbucks and McDonald’s, according to the trade publication Nation’s Restaurant News.

If allowed to open, this would be the second Chick-fil-A in Pasadena. The other one is on the southeast corner of Bonnie Avenue and Colorado Boulevard, near Pasadena City College.