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The North Londonderry Township Zoning Hearing Board unanimously approved two setback variance requests Wednesday for a proposed Chick-fil-A restaurant at 21 N. Londonderry Square, Palmyra.
The vote waives the required 60-foot setback for what was called the front yard and the 30-foot setback requirement for the back. The changes will allow for the construction of two canopies that are integral to how the business operates, according to company officials.
The setbacks, as approved by the board, will be just under 30 feet to the front of the property and just under 9 feet to the rear of the building.
The front canopy, which is on the south side of the building near U.S. Route 422, is where customers will place their orders. The back canopy, on the north side of the property and adjacent to existing mall tenants, is where orders will be picked up. Both canopies are stand-alone structures that will not be attached to the building.
During nearly an hour’s testimony between the board and company officials, discussion focused on whether there were alternatives to the variance requests.
Company officials said no when asked if the canopies could be attached to the building to avoid the variances. Engineer Justin Thornton of Pittsburgh said the variances would still be needed even if the structures were connected to the restaurant.
He also noted that the space between the front canopy and the building is to allow for a daily delivery of products.
Zoning board member Deborah A. Buckfelder asked Thornton several times if the building can be repositioned from its proposed north/south setting so the variances wouldn’t be necessary. Thornton, who said he’s worked with the company since the early 2000s, reported that design engineers tried every configuration possible for the location, noting the main problem with reconfiguring the building design involved reducing the size of the parking lot.
“So we ran into the spacing issue with the parking that’s required, and that’s the main reason … I don’t even know how many prototypes we tried to fit in this space,” Thornton said. “This prototype resulted in the least amount of relief that would be required to be requested from the township. So everything else we did was either trigger parking variances or some other form of relief.”
Thornton was informed, however, that the township’s ordinances only require around 22 or 23 parking spaces, which is about a third of the number they plan to construct. One company official said team members would need about 20 parking spaces, but another said it is more like 10 since some are teenagers who don’t drive and others carpool to work.
“The width of the site, that’s not really impacting those variances for us,” Thornton said. “It’s the depth that is causing us the challenges.”
Tyler Prime, an attorney representing the Atlanta-based company, stated a similar sentiment at the beginning of the hearing when describing the issue for board members. Prime’s law firm, Prime Tuvel & Miceli, is based in Mount Laurel, New Jersey.
“It’s not taking all of the east/west proportions but from the north/south it’s kind of as wide as you can go, and that’s an important distinction because what we’re proposing and what we’re asking for the relief tonight is related to these canopies here,” Prime said, pointing to the location of the two canopies on a large blueprint.
Prime explained the company’s MO for how their restaurants operate and why the canopies are integral to that master plan.
“You’ll have a vehicle enter the drive-through. Now underneath these (canopies), they’re approximately 10 feet high. They’re extremely well lit. They have fans, they have heaters. It’s really a convenience and a safety thing for team members and for customers,” Prime said. “So the newer operations for Chick-fil-A will have customers driving through here, team members, out taking orders on iPads.”
He added the canopies serve multiple purposes.
“So you have them protected from the elements. You have fans and heaters, like I said, to keep it a little bit more temperate. And again, kind of the same operation on the meal delivery. So after the cars proceed through the drive, they come here,” Prime said, pointing to the rear canopy. “There’s a door here in place of a traditional drive-through window. Team members will expedite the food to each appropriate car and this provides again for safety measures. You’ve got extremely well lit and covered from the rain or snow or whatever it may be as well as the heaters to keep it a little more temperate. So the building itself is fine in terms of the setbacks but we do have these canopies, they’re not connected to the building, but they’re very close and they do impede on the setbacks that are allowed.”
The proposed site is in front of a grocery outlet in the strip mall to the rear of the property. During the meeting, it was noted there will be 60 parking spots on the west side of the restaurant entrance, including four ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) spaces immediately in front of the main entrance.
The outdoor area will include limited seating for outdoor dining and open spaces around the property will be landscaped with plants and bushes, zoners were told.
Read More: Chick-fil-A celebrates its grand opening
The parking lot, which will have two entrances from the mall lot, is between the main building and the Burger King to the west, near the mall’s main entrance off Route 422.
The building design calls for indoor seating that will accommodate 90 guests, company officials said, and both Prime and Thornton told LebTown after the hearing that there are currently no franchise owners for this property. Prime said that’s typically something that occurs once issues involving zoning and planning approvals have been satisfied.
During the hearing, Thornton spelled out next steps should the variance be granted, namely obtaining approval from the planning commission and township supervisors. Zoning hearing members were in executive session for about 20 minutes before reconvening the meeting and giving their unanimous approval for the two setback requests.
“Of course, if we are successful tonight and we gain the variance we’re looking for. We’ll be back before the township, not this board exactly, but we’ll be back for land development. And we’ll get into all the specifics regarding traffic, lighting, stormwater, everything else,” Thornton said. “We’ll have lots of answers and a new crop of witnesses to help with that for the township.”
Zoning board solicitor Amy Leonard said the property at 21 N. Londonderry Square is a permitted use since it is in a highway commercial zone.
Prime said after the meeting that a tentative timeline would see approvals given during the coming year, construction starting late in 2026 and opening in 2027.
Board reorganizes for 2026
At the start of the meeting, the zoning board reorganized for 2026 with Frederick J. Tilburg renamed chairman and Philip J. Deivernois appointed vice chairman.
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