Chick-fil-A is in negotiations with the owners of the former Golden Corral site in North Cornwall Township to lease the property for what would be the Georgia company’s first franchise in Lebanon County.
Chick-fil-A has been evaluating the 1147 Quentin Road site since August, as first reported by LebTown.
In November, North Cornwall Township manager Tom Long said that the township officials had met with an engineering firm hired by Chick-fil-A to conduct a preliminary investigation into feasibility of the site.
Reached by phone last week, Adonis Gjaka, property manager for Prestige Properties & Development, owners of the Lebanon Plaza Shopping Center, said that leasing terms remain under negotiation. Gjaka said that the two companies were “very close to making a deal.”
“Negotiations take a little bit of time,” said Gjaka.
Responding to a LebTown question about the opportunity cost of not having the property listed for other potential leasees, Gjaka noted that there’s always an opportunity cost with any vacant property, but it’s expected as part of the process.
Long told LebTown that the township is still in a holding pattern and has not received a preliminary/final land development plan from Chick-fil-A or its representatives.
“From our end, nothing has changed,” said Long, noting that the status remains the same as it was when LebTown last checked in on the project.
Preliminary sketches submitted to North Cornwall Township indicated that the existing structure would be demolished and a new building would be constructed.
Because the property sits within the Lebanon Plaza Shopping Center, Chick-fil-A would not need to seek a highway occupancy permit from PennDOT, a planning measure required for projects that need direct access to the state’s right of ways.
Long said that the township would be willing to work with the company on a traffic study to see how the potential restaurant – famous for having an extraordinarily popular drive-through – would affect nearby streets. Long said that the township would also be able to help with internal traffic flow recommendations if requested by the developer.
Once Chick-fil-A submits a land development plan to the township, the plan will be scheduled for presentation at a subsequent public meeting of the township planning commission.
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