Business & Tech
Council to Review McDonald's Proposal for Cedar Point Commons
The Richfield City Council will meet for its regular meeting Tuesday night.
While anything's possible, the chances of a McDonald's being built at Cedar Point Commons are slim to none. The Richfield City Council is expected to deny the proposal Tuesday night, which would end the fast food chain's run for the northwest corner of 66th Street.
The project has been in the works for nearly two years. The council originally heard the proposal in March 2011. While all council members were interested in considering the project, Mayor Debbie Goettel expressed her concerns about how the community members would feel about a fast food style restaurant coming in, rather than a sit-down restaurant.
However, McDonald's being a fast food establishment seems to be the least of city officials' concerns at this point. During the Richfield Planning Commission's public hearing on the project last month, city staff presented a number of concerns including parking, pedestrian and bicyclist safety, and inconsistent building materials. But the staff's biggest concern centered around the positioning of the restaurant on the site.
Read: McDonald's Bid for Cedar Point Commons Shot Down by Planning Commission
The site plans place the majority of the parking on the west side of the building, next to the Mouth Calvary School parking lot, with the drive-thru ordering area facing 66th Street East. The main entrance is shown on the north side of the building, which until the rest of the parcel is redeveloped, would face an empty lot. City planner Melissa Poehlman described the orientation of building as "turning its back" on the rest of the development and main streets.
After listening to city staff concerns and McDonald's representatives, the planning commission declined to recommend the project to the council.
The council could still approve the project, however, that would mean amending the city's Cedar Point Commons development plan, and approving a conditional use permit and other variance requests.
The council will discuss the project at 7 p.m. Tuesday night at Richfield City Hall and Municipal Center. Richfield Patch will update readers following the meeting.
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