Chick-fil-A in talks with Dublin officials for two locations in city

Fans of the fast-food restaurant Chick-fil-A could soon see a wider selection of locations without ever leaving the Tri-Valley.

The company is exploring opening two new locations in the Dublin area, while already having one established in Pleasanton and one due to open soon in Livermore. If all plans went through, that would mean four Chick-fil-A locations in the Tri-Valley area — three of which would be less than two miles from each other.

Initially, Chick-fil-A showed interest in a site development review permit at the Hacienda Crossings shopping center. Originally filed in July 2021, the permit proposes the new fast-food location be built at the former Black Angus Restaurant.

According to the City of Dublin Development Project database, the project would include the “demolition of an existing building and construction of a new 2,781-square-foot drive-thru restaurant building, trash enclosure, parking and site improvements.”

As for the status of the application, it is still currently under review due to discussions being had between the city and the food chain restaurant. The city of Dublin Planning Division, which handles proposed development projects, has been working with the chain restaurant and evaluating their inquiries.

“It’s all public information,” said Stephen Wright, a Dublin resident and planning commissioner. “When it’s completed, it is still public information and it’s made part of the public hearing that would happen before the planning commission.”

For development projects in the city, each must go through five steps as outlined by the city planning department. Those steps are pre-application, planning application submitted, application review, public hearing, and a final action. All of these steps are necessary for businesses and operations to have their proposed projects seen to completion.

With the existing Chick-fil-A location in Pleasanton, the two restaurants would be 1.8 miles apart.

Chick-fil-A has also filed a second proposal for an operation located on San Ramon Road — to replace the previous McNamara’s Steakhouse at the site. However, it is still in the pre-application step, according to Dublin officials and the city’s development projects website.

“For the San Ramon Road location, the applicant has submitted a preliminary application,” said Shari Jackman, communications manager for the city.

According to Jackman, the second proposal includes “demolition of an existing 8,437-square-foot restaurant building and construction of a new 5,000- square-foot drive-thru restaurant building with new parking and site improvements at 7400 San Ramon Road.”

Jackman said that Chick-fil-A has yet to submit a formal application for San Ramon Road, but is still in the process of coordinating with the city.

“Both inquiries by Chick-fil-A are in different stages,” Wright said. “The pre-application for the San Ramon site means the representatives for that development and city staff are still talking about what might be required.”

“It’s not unusual for developers to talk with city staff before they launch a full application, which then sets into motion,” he added. “They talk out more requirements, and a more detailed plan.”

Speculation in the community led some residents to believe the opening of new locations could be to alleviate traffic congestion from the restaurants’ notorious drive-thru lines.

The city of Dublin has since required Chick-fil-A to conduct traffic studies on how its establishments would impact the area. However, these have not been completed or published yet, according to city officials.

City officials said they are unable to provide a specific timeline for either project proposals as these are based on the applicant’s formal application and discussion with city decision-makers.

As it stands, the applications are in different stages of development and still require additional discussion with city planning officials.

Chick-fil-A corporate representatives did not respond for comment.