JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A new Chick-fil-A franchise location opened in Oceanway early Friday morning, but it wasn’t without prior controversy.
One of the big concerns from people in the community in the past has been traffic leading up to the area, causing congestion.
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“Concern was a little bit about school here crossing back-and-forth across the street [from First Coast High School] but hopefully they’ll be good young adults and pay attention to the traffic flow,” customer Weslei Davis said.
In 2024, with residential backlash, the Jacksonville City Council approved a zoning change in a 12-7 vote that paved the way for the restaurant to open.
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Mom Kelsie is glad that a traffic light was installed across the street near First Coast High School.
“If kids are smart, and they would just use that and cross the road when it’s meaningful because I have seen some kids not using it and they just cross when the light’s green,” Kelsie said.
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And to alleviate some of those traffic concerns, the franchise location came with a system to help move their drive-through lines faster.
“This lane right here is for people with the app and this lane is for the traditional mobile drive-through,” franchise manager Chuck Campbell said. “You’ll scan and move forward that makes it a little bit quicker.”
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