Main Street Maury
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Plans heard again for proposed Whataburger in Spring Hill





More than 100 cars were lined up in the drive-thru lanes at the grand opening of Whataburger restaurant in Hermitage; Spring Hill planners hope to avoid a major traffic situation if the restaurant is approved on Main Street.Roger Fregoso / Main Street MAURY

More than 100 cars were lined up in the drive-thru lanes at the grand opening of Whataburger restaurant in Hermitage; Spring Hill planners hope to avoid a major traffic situation if the restaurant is approved on Main Street.Roger Fregoso / Main Street MAURY

After a tumultuous first meeting with the Spring Hill Planning Commission, developers associated with the Texas-based fast food chain Whataburger were back with another proposal last month.

Proposed to be located at the former Main Street location of Burger King, the developers would demolish the current structure and build new on the site at 4933 Main Street.

Alderman Matt Fitterer once again raised concern over having the drive-thru lane facing Main Street, stating it would be the only drive-thru in the city to do that.

“We’ve got somewhere around 35-36 drive-thrus of some kind in Spring Hill, some food and non-food businesses, and I don’t know of a single example where the pickup window faces the primary road, or arterial road in this case, U.S. Highway 31,” he said at the first hearing for the site plan. “I think you’re well short of the mark when your primary entrance is facing away from the arterial road. Our code very clearly calls out the opposite.”

 

 

Fitterer, along with Chairman Jonathan Duda, asked for 3D renderings of the building with coloring and elevation levels, as well as materials for design review.

“I want to be real clear about what we are being asked to approve,” Duda said.

One of the concerns from Fitterer was if the plans already approved by the Tennessee Department of Transportation with regards to the widening of Main Street would be affected, but city planner Calvin Abrams said there would be no issues with the development.

The traffic impact study did identify minor signal timing adjustments necessary at the intersection of Main Street and Campbell Station Parkway, and staff asked planners to consider requiring the developer to make a contribution toward the cost of that adjustment.

Additionally, the study suggested that during peak hours and especially in the opening weeks that the south access be barricaded to prevent backup onto Main Street.

“Staff would require a Traffic Operation and Management Plan, not only for opening weeks, but also long term in order to mitigate such risk,” the staff report said.

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