How Should the Westborough Planning Board Handle Chick-Fil-A?

Is the Westborough Planning Board heading in the right direction regarding Chick-fil-A?

Chick-fil-A seeks a special permit to open a chicken restaurant at the Speedway Shopping Center on Route 9.

The planning board sees the project as a chance to connect the Speedway and Belmont shopping centers, improving the traffic flow there while making it easier to shop in both places with one trip. This access has been discussed for a long time, town officials say.

Board members want to require the access in Chick-fil-A's special permit. 

But, Speedway owner Regency Centers Corp. is “not going simply to allow a condition that gives Lowe’s and Bernie and Phyl’s access to the site without having anybody else responsible,” attorney Mark Donahue said Tuesday night.

And Chick-fil-A “has identified this site” as a “preferred site” as part of a “corporate goal of building a certain number of stores,” Donohue said.

“This store needs to open on a specific schedule. If it can’t fall on that schedule because of a condition that can’t be met, Chick-fil-A would have no choice” to explore “another site, which may be in Westborough,” he said.