McDonald's wants to tear down and rebuild its restaurant at 37-01 Broadway in Fair Lawn, adding two side-by-side ordering lanes that merge into one lane leading to three service windows. The plan also cuts parking nearly in half, from 42 spaces down to 21, and board members have raised questions about parking.
The proposal, now headed back before the board on October 26, calls for a 3,724-square-foot restaurant with 36 indoor seats, down slightly from the existing building's roughly 3,800 square feet, according to News 12 New Jersey. The redevelopment would also add new landscaping, upgraded lighting and pedestrian improvements along the busy Route 4 corridor. McDonald's already has a drive-through at the site, but the new double-lane configuration requires zoning variances because the use isn't permitted outright under the property's current commercial zoning.
A Stalled June Hearing
The application has been pending since a June 1 zoning board meeting, where members raised questions about parking, pedestrian safety, delivery truck access and the building's overall appearance, per meeting minutes cited in the station's report. Fair Lawn borough officials confirmed that no approval resolution was adopted at that hearing, leaving the matter unresolved for nearly five months before its scheduled return date.
Under the borough's municipal land development ordinance, drive-through restaurants are explicitly prohibited in B-2 General Business zones unless the zoning board grants a use variance or the property sits within a designated B-1A drive-through overlay district, according to Borough of Fair Lawn code. That legal backdrop helps explain why board members are scrutinizing the rebuild so closely, even though a drive-through already operates on the site today.
Why McDonald's Changed Course
McDonald's received municipal approval back in 2024 for a renovation and building addition at the same address, but the company never built that project, the same report notes. It returned to the zoning board in 2026 with a proposal to demolish and rebuild the restaurant.
That shift tracks with where the industry has been heading. Drive-through operations now generate between 60% and 70% of total sales at major fast-food chains, while Restroworks says over 75% of U.S. fast-food restaurant sales now come from drive-throughs.
Legal Hurdles for the Variance Request
The application seeks a use variance, which the board is considering as part of its review of the proposed redevelopment.
Broadway is also state Route 4. Earlier board discussions raised concerns about pedestrian safety and delivery truck access.
For now, the application remains pending, with a return hearing scheduled for October 26.
