Arthur Foulkes
The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE —
Chick-fil-A, a restaurant currently making big political news, is coming to Terre Haute.
The Vigo County Area Plan Commission on Wednesday night gave a favorable recommendation for rezoning property to allow for the construction of a Chick-fil-A fast food restaurant on what is now part of the Wabash Valley Fairgrounds property on U.S. 41 South.
The restaurant has become a focal point nationally in the debate over same-sex marriage. Dan Cathy, Chick-fil-A’s president, recently spoke out against same-sex marriage, sparking opposition and support across the country for the restaurant.
The proposed restaurant would be to the south of the former Golden Corral restaurant and the current Walgreens drug store at the corner of Johnson Drive and U.S. 41. Access to the restaurant would be from a roadway south of Walgreens known as Union Street, said Gary Rouse, an official with GBC Design, Inc., which would do the site design for Chick-fil-A.
The property is currently a grassy field. No construction date is known for the restaurant, Rouse said after speaking to the commission. The property would be sold to Chick-fil-A, Rouse said.
The rezoning request must now go before the Vigo County Commissioners. Rouse plans to take the request to the county legislative body Monday, he said.
There was no mention of the current political flap concerning Chick-fil-A at the Area Plan Commission meeting.
n Also Wednesday night, residents of Woodgate and other subdivisions in southern Vigo County made their case Wednesday night to members of the Vigo County Area Plan Commission, complaining again about two-story apartment buildings built and being built at nearby Cobblestone Crossing.
Several residents of Woodgate, Viscaya Point and Lakeview Estates attended Wednesday night’s commission meeting. They re-traced the history of Cobblestone, stating that the project was allowed to transform from a single-family, condominium and apartment building development into something very different.
Apartment buildings now stand where condominiums and single-family residences were proposed, the residents said.
The residents of the neighborhoods plan to ask for an order to halt future construction of apartment buildings at Cobblestone, said Mike Poinsett, a spokesman for the residents.
Rezoning of the Cobblestone development was done improperly, Poinsett asserted to the board. The changes have “forever scarred and changed this area,” he said.
Residents also asked the Area Plan Commission to reconsider its methods of public notices when zoning changes are being considered. Several asserted there had been no meaningful notice when some changes were made to the original designs for Cobblestone Crossing.
No official action was taken by the commission on the matter Wednesday night.
Reporter Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.
