Phoenix Garfield Neighbors Fight Burger King And Win

PHOENIX — Residents of Phoenix’s Garfield neighborhood fought city hall and won. The fast-food chain Burger King wanted to put a drive-thru restaurant in the area, and the neighbors were successful in convincing officials it would make terrible traffic backups even worse.

Garfield residents learned of the plan for a drive-thru restaurant at Seventh and Portland streets in early October, when an attorney representing Burger King got in touch with Garfield neighborhood leader Dana Johnson.

The restaurant was partnering with a developer to build the restaurant on a lot currently occupied by a multi-service building that includes a laundromat, print shop and a couple of cellphone stores.

Johnson told the Phoenix New Times that residents didn’t want to see those businesses disappear, but their more immediate concern was that traffic to the Burger King drive-thru lane would back up along Seventh Street, which is a block south of Interstate 10.

Traffic is already a problem on the street, Johnson told the newspaper, and a drive-thru wouldn’t be a good fit there.

Burger King backed away from the proposal in response to the neighborhood opposition, Phoenix City Council member Carlos Garcia, whose district includes the Garfield neighborhood, confirmed to the New Times in a text message Monday.

» Read more on the Phoenix New Times.