A proposal to build a new McDonald's in the Long Island town of Huntington is generating concern among residents about traffic and safety, News 12 reported. The plan would bring the fast-food chain to a prominent corner, and it is now heading before local officials for review.
The proposed restaurant would sit at the corner of East Pulaski Road and Park Avenue. The site is currently home to a former bank that has been closed for about six years, with the building fenced in, overgrown and its windows and doors boarded up, an eyesore that many in the community would like to see addressed.
According to documents submitted to the town, the existing former bank building would be demolished and replaced by a roughly 3,700-square-foot restaurant, positioned a little more centrally within the parking lot than the current structure.
Opponents have been outspoken about the plan. They have raised concerns about how much additional traffic a drive-through could create at what is already a busy intersection, and whether that congestion could affect emergency vehicles, given that Huntington Hospital sits about two miles away.
The application counters some of those worries by noting that the former bank previously operated a drive-through of its own. A traffic study submitted with the proposal concluded that the development would not significantly impact traffic conditions in the area.
The Huntington Zoning Board of Appeals is due to hold a public hearing on the proposal this evening at 6 o'clock at Huntington Town Hall. The session will give residents a chance to voice their views as officials weigh whether the project should move forward.