DELAWARE — More Dave’s singles, Frostys and Baconators are another step closer to Wendy’s customers in Delaware after Wednesday’s Delaware Planning Commission meeting.
The commission approved the fast food chain’s development plan on 0.92 acres located at 12 Glenn Road inside the Glennwood Commons Shopping Center. This site would be the fourth Wendy’s in the city, should city council approve the plan at its June 8 meeting.
The site would include a 2,146-square-foot building with a U-shaped drive-thru lane around it, and 25 parking spaces with six spaces designated for mobile orders.
Commission member Dean Prall noted how Wendy’s locations used to be larger, and said 2,100 square feet isn’t a lot of space.
“This is the new prototype store that we’ve been building around the country. What we have found is that less people are dining inside the facility than they used to,” Weaver Consultants Group’s Bill Perry said.
Perry said Wendy’s used to construct buildings closer to 3,000 square feet.
However, with mobile dining apps like DoorDash and Uber Eats being increasingly popular since the pandemic, the new buildings reflect that change. Perry said the new store will have adequate space for this type of customer.
“The site will be accessed from the to-be-constructed interior backage road within the Glennwood Commons Shopping Center development,” the plan states.
Additionally, the plan notes another application that would extend the access drive beyond the site, giving access to northern lots like the existing Panda Express.
Perry explained that the development was seeking “halo” lighting around the top of the building and signage on three sides of the site as opposed to two.
But since the Glennwood Commons’ development text does not allow for this, and other developments have already been constructed and denied similar requests, the commission declined the “halo” lighting and additional sign.
This didn’t end up being a dealbreaker, as Perry said the development would still proceed and that Wendy’s “is excited to be at the corner.”
