Chick-fil-A, a fast-food restaurant chain, recently acquired a piece of land in San Jose, suggesting a possible expansion. As Mercury News reports, the company bought the land for $4.5 million on Friday, October 6, in an all-cash transaction.
The property, situated near Silver Creek Road and East Capitol Expressway, is presently used as a parking lot. The parcel was sold by Target, who runs a retail store in the same complex and retained ownership of its store and an adjacent parking area post-transaction.
Its expansion plans have been met with resistance before, such as when in 2010, Chick-fil-A came under fire for funding anti-same-sex marriage groups through the Winshape Foundation, established by S. Truett Cathy, the company's late founder. This led to varying degrees towards its proposals for opening new restaurant locations across the United States.
A decade ago, a Boston mayoral figure and Chicago alderman attempted to hinder Chick-fil-A's franchise expansions in their cities. Nevertheless, there was a Chick-fil-A establishment in Chicago in 2011, and in Boston, in 2022.
A display of support for LGBTQ rights, the San Jose City Council in 2019 voted in favor of hanging rainbow and transgender flags near a Chick-fil-A location at their city airport's Terminal B. Other locations in San Jose and the Bay Area have faced less resistance. However, there has been no official comment from the company about a possible new restaurant at its newly acquired Silver Creek Road property.
Located in a San Jose shopping center, the approximated three-fourths of an acre property is beside a Chevron gas station and a car wash near Silver Creek and East Capitol. It is also proximate to other eateries, like the Boiling Crab, Pho Papa, and the Red Lobster.
The City of San Jose document details a conditional use permit application for demolishing an existent retail building and constructing a new Chick-fil-A establishment with a dual drive-thru lane and accompanying parking at the bought site. The proposed restaurant will feature a 3,565-square-foot, single-story structure with interior and exterior seating along with a dual drive-thru lane that can fit a 21-car queue.
The City of San Jose is set to finalize the approval for the Chick-fil-A Project and the Initial Study/Mitigated Negative Declaration during a virtual public hearing on December 7th, 2023, at 6:30 pm.
LOCATION
The Chick-fil-A Silver Creek and Capitol Project (project) site is located at the 3000-3100 block of Silver Creek Road, an outparcel of 3155 Silver Creek Valley, San José, California
