Newark Nonprofit Doesn’t Want Chick-fil-A In Their Neighborhood

NEWARK, NJ — “We will not be held hostage in our communities as others profit and literally ‘drive-thru’ our home.” This is the sentiment from a nonprofit in Newark as it decries plans to bring a Chick-fil-A restaurant to 2-28 Broadway.

La Casa de Don Pedro, the largest Latinx-led organization in the state of New Jersey, recently launched an online petition to “keep Chick-fil-A out of the City of Newark.”

The nonprofit is alleging that the restaurant will increase traffic and crash risks near one of the busiest intersections in the city. It is also protested the company’s stances on LGBTQ+ rights – an objection that other Essex County advocates have made in the past.

Newark’s central planning board approved an application for the new restaurant in June. It will replace an existing Burger King restaurant, and have two drive-thru lanes, a walkup window and outdoor seating, TAPinto Newark reported.

La Casa de Don Pedro is asking city officials to put the brakes on the new Chick-fil-A. However, Mayor Ras Baraka said the area is zoned to allow commercial use, and city administrators don’t have direct involvement with the private sale.

Baraka added that city officials “do not agree with Chick-fil-A’s corporate stance against LGBTQIA+ people, whose rights we uphold and support,” TAPinto Newark reported.

Read La Casa de Don Pedro’s petition below, or view it online here:

“La Casa de Don Pedro is calling on all local leaders, elected officials, and community members to join us in our efforts to keep Chick-fil-A out of the City of Newark.

“First and foremost, our organization and residents never received notification of these plans nor were we included in the approval process. This decision to exclude our community from having any input on the conditions of the business development plans in our neighborhood shows a complete disregard for the safety and best interests of the people that Chick-fil-A intends to “serve”. Additionally, it is well documented that Chick-fil-A’s drive thru’s will attract a significant increase in traffic which can block emergency and public transit vehicles and will result in an increase of loitering, panhandling, collisions and pedestrian injuries.

“The intersection of Broadway, Broad Street, and Clay Street is one of the busiest in the City of Newark. The new driveway for the Chick-fil-A store will be approximately 230 feet from this intersection. According to the City’s GIS database, there were 84 car accidents in this three-way intersection from 2010 to 2021. The most common types of accidents were rear-ended collisions and sideswipes. Twelve other types of accidents occurred there, including cars hitting pedestrians and cyclists. A successful Chick-fil-A franchise store at 2-28 Broadway, with twice the drive-through capacity of the current Burger King restaurant, will undoubtedly increase the number of cars moving through this intersection and, most likely, the number of traffic accidents at this intersection, too.

“Since Broadway is a one-way street that runs north to south, many drivers will have to take a roundabout route to reach the new Chick-fil-A. In particular, the drivers coming from the south on Broad Street and the east on Clay Street would have to drive north on Broad Street to Bloomfield Place, two blocks north of the Broadway/Broad/Clay intersection.

“They would then have to turn onto Broadway and head southbound towards the Chick-fil-A driveway entrance. Similarly, north and west bound traffic will also need to make their way through the street grid to the Broadway entrance of Chick-fil-A. This will dramatically increase the volume of traffic at this intersection and throughout the Lower Broadway neighborhood.

“At peak hours, Chick-fil-A traffic is likely to back up onto Broadway, and this is because the parcel on which the new restaurant will be located can accommodate 35 cars; any cars beyond this number will need to wait in a line that will spill into the western drive lane of Broadway. Even if the proposed 35 cars of cueing space is correctly sized to serve 100 vehicles per hour, which, according to Chick-fil-A’s website, may occur during peak hours, should any problems arise, such as a transaction problem at one of the two drive-through windows, traffic will back up onto Broadway resulting in even more traffic congestion. It is also reasonable to assume that a high-volume fast-food restaurant will need frequent deliveries of food and supplies, which may also increase congestion.

“When polling members of the Lower Broadway community on what they want to see most in the neighborhood, the most common response was for added traffic safety and more walkable streets. One resident called for “safe crosswalks and more traffic lights” while another replied, “Speed bumps. We can’t have enough speed bumps”.

“Economics cannot continue to come at the expense of our community members who won’t be able to walk, gather, or build community without the fear of being hit by a car, witnessing a drug transaction, or being solicited in other ways. We will not be held hostage in our communities as others profit and literally "drive-thru" our home.

“Lastly, Chick-fil-A's owner has a longstanding history of supporting anti-LGBTQIA+ groups and policies which do not align with our incredibly diverse communities and values. Help us keep our community safe and free from organizations that don’t align with our values or consider us in their plans by signing our petition.”

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