Anne Arundel County’s Board of Appeals on Friday denied preliminary approval for a proposed drive-thru Chick-fil-A on Ritchie Highway in Arnold, delivering a months-long victory for residents who had fought the plan. The restaurant would have gone on a wooded, sloped lot next to a CVS at the Arnold Road intersection, a stretch of Route 2 that locals say already clogs up with summer beach traffic. The rejection comes after multiple public hearings where neighbors and independent engineers pressed concerns about traffic, safety and environmental impacts.
According to CBS Baltimore, the board's memorandum concluded that the size, shape, and topography of the parcel would make it difficult to safely handle expected drive-thru volumes while keeping environmental damage in check. The memo noted that the wooded, sloped site would require extensive clearing and suggested that other nearby commercial properties would be better candidates for a high-volume drive-thru.
Proposal Details and Hearing Record
Per Anne Arundel County, the preliminary plan outlined a 2,852-square-foot Chick-fil-A with a two-lane drive-thru at 1500 Ritchie Highway (Route 2), on the parcel immediately adjacent to the existing CVS. The county docket shows the case generated six public hearings in late 2025, followed by a January 29 deliberation session where traffic and stormwater experts sparred over whether the project could satisfy safety and environmental requirements.
Neighbors Pushed Back Over Traffic and Trees
Opponents mounted a full-court press, organizing petitions, hiring independent traffic consultants and warning the board that the drive-thru would intensify gridlock and chip away at the neighborhood’s character. The campaign, led by Elizabeth Rossborg and the Arnold Preservation Council, became a local cause. Coverage and analysis chronicled repeated public testimony about peak-hour beach traffic, stacking on Ritchie Highway, and the potential loss of specimen trees, as detailed by RealClear AI.
What Comes Next
The ruling leaves Chick-fil-A with the option to seek reconsideration or file an appeal. CBS Baltimore reports that it is not yet clear whether the company will pursue further review. If the decision stands, it could put tighter scrutiny on drive-thru-only proposals along seasonally congested corridors, nudging future applicants to address peak summer traffic explicitly instead of leaning on annual averages.
