A fourth Taco Bell could be coming to Naperville, but it will need some leeway on city code requirements before construction can begin.
Naperville Planning and Zoning commissioners Wednesday will review five variances requested by the company that wants to build the fast-food restaurant at 1019 E. Ogden Ave. Final approval will be made by the Naperville City Council.
In an agenda report for the commission meeting, city staff say they support the code adjustments, noting that while “the overall number of variances being requested is high,” they are “largely due to the size and shape of the lot.”
The proposed Taco Bell is to be built on a half-acre site on which three existing structures will be demolished to make way for a 1,719-square-foot, 14-seat restaurant with a drive-thru window, according to documents submitted to the city.
Plans were submitted by Hinsdale-based Shamrock Co., which currently operates 34 Taco Bell franchise restaurants in Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin. It would be Shamrock’s first franchise in Naperville, company owner Daniel McGue said.
The other Taco Bells in the city are at 1287 Rickert Drive, 2775 Aurora Ave. and 3028 Reflection Drive. The latter is a combination Taco Bell/KFC operation.
Shamrock’s requested variances concern drive-thru capacity, parking, landscaping and residential setbacks.
For the drive-thru, the company wants to provide nine total stacking spaces, which are the number of cars the lane can accommodate. City code requires 12. Shamrock officials maintain expected demand won’t require that many spaces.
Staff concurs based on a traffic and drive-thru analysis provided by Shamrock, which identified projected peak drive-thru queues to reach two to three cars during the week and on weekends.
Shamrock is likewise requesting it be allowed to have fewer parking spaces than required by city code. Per standing requirements, the East Ogden development would need to 29 spaces but the company believes only 14 spaces are necessary.
Citing parking demand at comparable Taco Bell restaurants, Shamrock’s traffic study contends the required supply would exceed anticipated demand in Naperville.
As for setback variances, city code requires a drive-thru to be at least 40 feet away from any residential area; Shamrock is asking that distance be reduced to 4.5 feet.
However, to alleviate the impact on nearby property owners, the menu and speaker would be positioned 70 feet away from the neighboring residential area, the city staff report said. Shamrock also would install a 6-foot-tall privacy fence along the northern property line.
The last variance being sought would reduce the amount of landscaping the company would need to plant.
If approved, McGue said he hopes to have the restaurant open as soon as possible but no timeframe has been set because obtaining city approval and permits can be a slow-moving process.