The Inglewood Planning Commission postponed a decision on a proposed Chick-Fil-A on Tuesday night to give the chicken giant time to draw up more impressive designs.
“I don’t see a flagship Chick-Fil-A design,” Commissioner Aidé Trejo said. “With all due respect, it is a little plain-looking.”
The Chick-Fil-A, which would replace the shuttered Big Lots at 3003 Manchester Boulevard, was on the commission’s agenda in February and again March 4 but a public hearing was put off twice. The restaurant’s developers joined with city planners to host a packed community meeting March 5 to share details of the project.
The restaurant would be the first Chick-Fil-A in Inglewood, though the franchise has a location on La Cienega Boulevard, just outside the city limits.
Inglewood residents gave scattered critiques of the proposed drive-thru restaurant in public comments and on social media leading up to Tuesday’s special meeting in Inglewood City Hall. Some said it will increase gentrification, while others said it won’t fix a lack of healthy food options in the city.
On Tuesday, commenters raised concerns that the project would increase the likelihood of traffic collisions at the nearby major intersections.
Commissioners ultimately voted 3-2 to ask Chick-Fil-A to return to a future meeting with revised drawings. In a separate, unanimous decision, the commission tabled its next vote on the chicken shop until May 6.
Bernard McCrumby Jr., Inglewood development services director, said city planning staff took Chick-Fil-A’s development team and the property owners through almost a year of design revisions to relocate the restaurant and drive-thru lanes toward Manchester Boulevard.
Carlos Arias, development manager for Chick-Fil-A, said the company uses prototype designs for some restaurants.
“This is not that,” Arias said, meaning the proposed restaurant in Inglewood is not based on any of the prototype designs.
The renderings that landed before the commission Tuesday showed a blocky structure with walls split between brick and white paint, similar to other Chick-Fil-A restaurants across the region.
Some proposed design changes, including a large trellis over the restaurant’s patio dining area, did not make the drawings presented to the commission.
“This is rather cartoonish for us,” Commissioner David Rice said of some of the images. Commission Chairman Larry Springs said he wanted to see final designs before moving the project ahead.
Rice and Commissioner Carolyn Fowler — each of whom said they attended the March 5 community meeting — both voted against a postponement. Prior to the vote, Rice said he would have kept the project rolling as long as the commission retained some influence down the line.
Arias, the restaurant development manager, said Chick-Fil-A is committed to doing more along Manchester Boulevard and the restaurant patio.
“One thing is clear, and it’s that this commission wants more,” he said.