If there is in fact a tipping point when it comes to fried chicken hoopla for the Santa Clarita Valley, Chick-fil-A might be nearing such a precipice.
A frequent line outside the Westfield Valencia Town Center prompted fans to cheer when The Signal broke news about two new planned locations, one in Saugus and another in Stevenson Ranch.
It appears, however, that was only the beginning.
Since these reports, there has been news of plans for two more Chick-fil-A’s, which could bring the total to five in the SCV.
“They’ve put together concepts for these three locations,” said Jason Crawford, director of community development for the city of Santa Clarita. “I have no idea if they’re actually interested in doing all three or if they’re just looking at the pros and cons between the three … but they have put together concepts for these three locations in the city and we are currently reviewing them.”
One of those three locations is one of the two previously reported. The other two are new potential locations.
Crawford explained that a business could come in and ask the city to evaluate a location plan for feasibility and compliance, even if the person or entity doesn’t own the property. The city would not actually permit any changes or work until the property owner’s signoff was acquired.
Just as with the Soledad Canyon location and the one on The Old Road, there’s been no timeline attached to either spot, Crawford added.
“An applicant can get feedback and often they do before they decide if they want to move forward with the property,” he said.
The new locations mentioned in Chick-fil-A’s plans would be the parking lot of the Regal Edwards movie theater in Canyon Country and the second location was near the Kohl’s off Golden Valley Road, which also has a pretty open parking lot.
Progress has already been made toward planning for two other locations, one in city limits and one in the unincorporated community of Stevenson Ranch.
The one in city limits is being planned for a spot next to Santa Clarita Lanes.
“Chick-fil-A proposes to construct a new 2,771-square-foot drive-through restaurant at (21613 Soledad Canyon Road), including a new monument sign … a drive-through stack with a 46-car capacity and 17 on-site parking stalls,” according to an application obtained by The Signal.
The applicant noted on the permit for the Saugus location that a second site might help alleviate the congestion the first location causes at the mall’s parking lot. The restaurant’s application would need Planning Commission approval because it’s in the city’s Planned Development Overlay Zone.
L.A. County’s Department of Regional Planning indicates that Chick-fil-A is also looking to try comfort food at a spot that’s hosted cuisine from all of the world, including Chinese food (Yin Yang in the 1980s), American comfort food (Hamburger Hamlet in 1989), Brazilian (Rio Rio), and then Italian (Bella Cucina, before it moved to Saugus), then a sports bar (Gameday) and then … Beef O’ Brady’s … and, perhaps ironically, a sports medicine facility.
