Hillsborough Approves Chick-fil-A Drive-Thru

Hillsborough Township's Board of Adjustment voted 5-2 on May 7 to approve Chick-fil-A's application to build a drive-thru restaurant at 296 Route 206, according to local reporting and township agenda records. The proposal would replace an Exxon gas station at the corner of Route 206 and Triangle Road with a new quick-service restaurant. The site had drawn months of testimony over traffic, access and parking. The board's approval came with conditions tied to those issues, Patch reported. ### Where exactly would the restaurant go? The proposed Chick-fil-A site is 296 Route 206 in Hillsborough, at the corner of Route 206 and Triangle Road, according to Board of Adjustment records and prior coverage of the application. The project calls for demolishing the existing Exxon gas station and redeveloping the property as a stand-alone restaurant. September 2024 application details described a 6,100-square-foot restaurant with 102 indoor seats, 24 outdoor seats and dual drive-thru lanes. (msn.com) By February 2026, township agenda records and hearing coverage described the plan as a 5,400-square-foot Chick-fil-A with dual drive-thru lanes, indicating the proposal was revised during the review process. ### Why did this project need board approval? (hillsboroughnj.portal.civicclerk.com) The property sits in Hillsborough's Office Light Commercial zone, where restaurants with drive-through facilities are not a permitted use, according to testimony and township records cited in local coverage. That meant Chick-fil-A needed a use variance as well as bulk variances and site-plan approvals before construction could proceed. (patch.com) Board records list the case as application BA-24-05. The filing sought "c" bulk and "d" use variances to build the restaurant with dual drive-through lanes on the existing service-station property. ### What were board members and neighbors worried about? Traffic at Route 206 and Triangle Road was the central issue through the hearings. February testimony reported by Patch focused on whether cars could stack into Route 206 or Triangle Road during peak periods. (patch.com) One board member also raised concern that drivers might try to cut through the parking lot to avoid the traffic signal. (hillsboroughnj.portal.civicclerk.com) Vincent Kelly of Colliers Engineering, testifying for the applicant, said a backup onto the highway was "a very unlikely scenario," according to Patch. Kelly said staff could use cones and a flagger if needed, and he said the dual drive-thru lanes could hold roughly 52 to 56 cars. ### What does the approved plan include? The application materials described dual full-length drive-thru lanes, meal order and delivery canopies, on-site parking and related site work. (patch.com) February coverage said the revised plan included 71 parking spaces, including two electric-vehicle spaces. Earlier reporting on the larger version of the proposal listed 70 spaces, showing another detail that changed during review. The restaurant's proposed operating hours were listed as 6:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with Chick-fil-A closed on Sundays. Deliveries and trash pickup were described in February testimony as taking place overnight. ### What were the conditions attached to the vote? Patch reported that the board approved the application with conditions addressing traffic, parking and site access. (patch.com) The available township agenda records in search results confirm the application and hearing timeline, but they do not, in the material surfaced here, spell out the full condition list. Based on the hearing record, those conditions appear to have tracked the issues most debated before the board, including vehicle circulation and access management. ### What happens before construction can start? The next formal step is a memorializing resolution and notice of decision in Hillsborough Township's planning and zoning records for BA-24-05. After that, the project would typically move into permit and construction phases, subject to compliance with the board's conditions and other township or county requirements. (hillsboroughnj.portal.civicclerk.com) (msn.com)