WHATABURGER TO REAPPLY FOR 24HR DRIVE THRU
This week WHATABURGER Restaurants, LLC has initiated the process to resubmit a zoning Special Exemption Request to the City of Greenville to allow 24-hour fast food drive-thru operations at 1601 Laurens Rd (previously operated as a Title Max on the corner of Lindsay Avenue and Laurens Rd).
Whataburger will be re-presenting the project at the upcoming City of Greenville Project Preview Meeting next week on Tuesday, January 23rd. This meeting is from 4 to 6 PM and is a drop-in style forum for the public to see revised project plans and interact directly with developers. (Project Preview Agenda) This meeting is a pre-submittal requirement for zoning applications. Whataburger will be re-submitting their plans, with changes, for a Special Exemption permit which is to go before the BZA (Board of Zoning Appeals) hearing at the March 14th meeting. Whataburger’s initial special exemption request for 24-hour drive-thru operations was denied on September 14, 2023. As per city code, an application may be resubmitted for consideration after a period of six months.
It has also come to our attention, that in a separate effort, Whataburger has retained council in the fall and initiated the process to appeal the BZA denial of their initial Special Exemption Application through the court system. The status of this effort is not known, but our understanding is this is still an active pursuit but that Whataburger is currently prioritizing the BZA re-submittal effort.
This week ELNA representatives Mike Austin and Kevin Feeny were contacted by Whataburger representatives to request a meeting to inform the neighborhood association of Whataburger’s intentions regarding the re-submittal process. That meeting occurred yesterday (Fri1/19). At the meeting we were informed about changes Whataburger has proposed to make in response to previous neighborhood feedback in an attempt to appease concerns. An outline of those proposed changes can be found HERE in a letter to the City of Greenville attorney dated 10/24/23 and shared with ELNA at the meeting yesterday.
This week ELNA has been in communication with city Council representatives and planning department representatives in an attempt to garner information and express concern that the neighborhood have time to become better informed. We have also requested that the city require Whataburger to make an additional presentation directly to the neighborhood, describe the proposed changes and give residents an opportunity to ask questions and voice additional concerns. Both the city and Whataburger were receptive to this request. We will keep you posted as to the status of that prospective meeting.
Steps you can take to stay informed and voice concerns
– Attend Project Preview meeting January 23rd
– Once scheduled, attend ELNA meeting(s)
– Speak AT BZA meeting on March 14, 2024
– Contact City of Greenville Planning Department directly with questions/concerns