Chick-Fil-A To Replace Longtime UES Department Store

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — A popular fast food chicken restaurant is slated to open a second location in Yorkville, but residents are concerned that the traffic-snarling problems of its other location will follow.

Chick-Fil-A is set to occupy a storefront on Second Avenue between 79th and 80th streets formerly home to the children's clothing shop Lester's, according to a condo board memo emailed to residents above the commercial space.

News of a second location — just a half mile away from the Chick-Fil-A on East 86th Street and Third Avenue— has already sparked concerns about rats and fast food smells, one resident told Patch.

Chick-Fil-A claims a space that is privately owned and separate from the condo building, the memo notes. The condo board also said the eatery will not offer sit-down dining or open Sundays.

"The Board had absolutely no involvement whatsoever in vetting or approving any proposed tenant along 2nd Avenue," the email states. "Chick-fil-A is a state of the art operation that takes each of these concerns very seriously."

The Third Avenue Chick-Fil-A has been a constant headache for neighbors since it opened, prompting the franchise owner to testify in front of the local Community Board multiple times, according to Upper East Site.

Delivery workers waiting for orders from the bustling fast food chain clog the sidewalks and streets with bikes and mopeds, a problem that has yet to be resolved nearly four years since its opening, reports Upper East Site.

The second location will open in an area known as a small respite from the bustling Second Avenue, as the commercial buildings have an increased setback from the street.

As Patch reported earlier this year, at least part of Lester's will remain dedicated to children: a kid's swim school is moving in some time this year.