Oceanway community voices concerns against proposed location of new Chick-fil-A

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Neighbors in a Jacksonville community don’t want a proposed Chick-Fil-A to come on Duval Station Road.

It would be located right across the street from First Coast High School, and residents aren’t happy about it.

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“We do not want a restaurant in this location,” King Smith said.

Smith lives inside of the North Creek subdivision, which sits directly across the street from First Coast High School.

He said he doesn’t like the idea, because of the increased traffic it will bring, and another Chick-Fil-A is just a little over two miles from the proposed location.

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“During the school year, there are approximately 20 buses collectively in the morning to drop children off, and then they are letting out in the evening,” Smith said.

Smith said drivers already detour through their neighborhood to avoid traffic, and believes it will only increase if a Chick-Fil-A opened in the area.

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“Right now, all that I see from the people who are planning this is the economic monetary gain from it. They aren’t thinking about it from a humanitarian aspect that we live here,” Smith said.

According to the city of Jacksonville, this proposal has already been approved, but on January 23 a site plan was denied, bringing the idea to a halt for now.

Jacksonville City Council member Reggie Gaffney Jr. said while the restaurant would be located in his district, he also has concerns.

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“Right now, traffic is the biggest concern. Right now, it’s a 30-minute wait in the morning for parents and students going to school. If you add Chick-Fil-A, it might push it back to 45 minutes to an hour,” Gaffney Jr. said.

We did reach out to Chick-Fil-A’s public relations department to see if they were going to resubmit a different proposal, but they have yet to get back to us.

Gaffney Jr. is expected to hold a town hall meeting Thursday on this topic at 6 PM at the Oceanway Community Center.

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