Goodyear relaxes permits on drive-thru restaurants

By Madeline Ackley Salazar
Mail | Twitter: @Mkayackley

Goodyear City Council voted unanimously in June to loosen restrictions imposed on drive-through restaurants within the city. 

The council voted to “streamline” the permitting process developers must take with the city to establish a drive-thru restaurant. Now, drive-thrus can open without a permit and associated fees if they are located 500 feet or more from residencies. 

Previously, the city required that all drive-thru restaurants come before the planning and zoning commission and city council for final approval–a process that could take up to six months. 

However, future drive-thrus built in Goodyear must abide by minimum ‘stacking’ standards. 

Drive-thrus must be large enough to accommodate at least six vehicles from the entry to the first stop–usually the menu board. The drive-thru will also need to be able to accommodate at least four additional vehicles between the first stop and the pick-up window. 

City staff recommended the amendment to city council in April, but the changes were delayed following concerns from the “development community,” city planning manager Steve Careccia said at a June 27 council meeting. 

The concern appeared to originate from an email sent by “an individual expressing concerns about the stacking requirements” in the proposed amendment, according to the April 18 council agenda. 

The sender stated that he would be providing the council with information to support “alternative stacking requirements.”  

Goodyear council members expressed both support and skepticism. 

“Drive-thrus are certainly here to stay,” said Councilmember Laura Kaino. “I'm very appreciative that we found a process to expedite so not every single one has to come through council.”

Councilmember Wally Campbell has been vocal in the past regarding drive-thrus with excessively long lines that block traffic. 

She mentioned specifically the Dutch Bros. bordering the Walmart at Litchfield and Indian School roads and the Chick-fil-A location near McDowell and Dysart roads. 

“They have a drive-thru beyond any drive-thru I’ve ever seen,” Campbell said of the fast-food chicken joint. “There are people taking orders way out–15, 20 cars down–and then they block the whole half of the (shopping center),” she said.

“We want them to be successful, but not at the detriment of other people coming into that shopping center,” Campbell said. 

Careccia responded that the ordinance would not address “the extremes” like Dutch Bros and Chick-fil-A. “But hopefully everybody else” will abide, he said. 

The proposal will not impact existing businesses, and drive-thrus can still be built within 500 feet of residences, but will need to go through the normal permit process. 

Madeline Ackley Salazar can be reached at mackley@iniusa.org or found on Twitter @Mkayackley.