JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — An “unwanted Chick-Fil-A.” It’s not something you hear often, but some Oceanway residents are continuing to fight against the proposed fast-food restaurant possibly being put in their neighborhood.
Jacksonville City Councilman Reggie Gaffney, Jr. organized a meeting Wednesday between five constituents and seven Chick-Fil-A representatives.
He’s now feeling confident that residents will get the outcome they want.
“We talked about other locations and we talked about the cons and the pros of moving on this location,” Gaffney, Jr. said, “but after meeting with them and seeing their response, I do not think they’ll be moving across the street from First Coast.”
Chick-Fil-A planned to put a new location in between the North Creek subdivision and Daily’s Gas Station, right across from First Coast High School, until people who live in the neighborhood began speaking out.
Roberta Smith attended the meeting with Chick-Fil-A to let them know how she feels.
“If they do build it,” Smith said, “it’s going to be a nightmare for them because we’re going to boycott it. I mean, we’re going to do everything we can to eliminate the business. It’s just would you want to leave your neighborhood every day and see a Chick-Fil-A sitting there or see anything sitting there? No, absolutely not.”
They’re concerned about the traffic that comes with the popular fast-food chain, plus safety concerns for students who walk or bike to and from school.
“Chick-Fil-A was very receptive after hearing the constituents,” Gaffney, Jr. said. “They displayed a great amount of empathy. They didn’t know about a lot of the issues that the location they’re trying to get – particularly the traffic, particularly the visibility, the accessibility.”
Gaffney said the Chick-Fil-A representatives told them they’ll take the concerns to leadership and give an update by the end of March. First Coast News reached out to Chick-Fil-A for comment, but we haven’t heard back.