Urban Cookhouse gets approval for drive-thru in Shandon

The city’s zoning board on Tuesday granted a special exception for a drive-thru facility in Shandon despite appeals from nearby residents.

The Columbia Board of Zoning Appeals voted 4-1 to allow Urban Cookhouse to build a drive-thru facility for call-ahead and pickup orders only at its proposed restaurant on Devine Street.

That decision followed a nearly hour-long discussion during which four Shandon residents spoke against the plans for the vacant parcel at the southeast corner of Devine Street and Sims Avenue, just across Devine from Incarnation Lutheran Church and across Sims Avenue from Eggs Up Grill.

The residents raised concerns about traffic congestion and pedestrian safety at the intersection of Devine and Sims, echoing the more than 40 Shandon residents and business owners who wrote to the city before the meeting to oppose the drive-thru.

Heather Hahn, a Shandon resident, said her concern is not with the restaurant itself.

“But I think the pickup window will inadvertently ... add to the congestion of the area,” she said.

Patrick Hubbard, a panel member, also voiced his opposition, saying drive-thru facilities encourage people to come and leave quickly, not connect with the area.

“This is putting a suburban kind of development in a neighborhood,” Hubbard said. “This is not a good idea.”

Will Gillespie, owner and president of Urban Cookhouse, said he has worked to respond to neighbors’ concerns since a decision on the request was deferred at a September meeting of the zoning board.

The drive-thru has been moved so it won’t be visible from the intersection, 15 of the 17 trees on the property will be saved and the restaurant has been scaled down to 2,875 square feet to leave more room for parking, he said.

“We have designed and redesigned and designed some more this site plan to try to accommodate everybody’s wishes,” he said.

Gillespie answered some panel members’ concerns that cars would back up in the drive-thru, blocking access to Sims Avenue. Cars will be able to move through the proposed drive-thru in “literally 15 to 30 seconds,” he said.

Urban Cookhouse has four locations in Alabama, according to its website. Locations in Sandy Springs, Ga., and in Mount Pleasant are opening soon. The restaurant uses the freshest ingredients possible and supports local farmers, according to its website. Its motto is: “Buy local. Eat urban.”

The zoning board’s approval was with the condition that Urban Cookhouse’s drive-thru window be used only for pickup of orders and that no exterior menu board or call box be permitted.

This story was originally published November 10, 2015 at 11:48 AM.