Council Eyes Changes to Drive-Thrus in the Zoning Code

Drive-thru windows may still be approved in Lakewood, but it could become a lot more difficult for businesses to get them.

An ordinance, inspired by the , was introduced to Lakewood City Council on Monday that would set the standard for future drive-thru plans in Lakewood.

This isn’t the first time the issue has come up at .

Earlier this month, the OK’d the after Ward 1 councilman David Anderson first introduced the idea in July.

“Part of a current and evolving discussion taking place in the community pertains to the impact of drive-thru facilities on adjacent residential areas and the character of our commercial corridors,” said Anderson. 

“I believe the time is right to be as proactive as possible in ensuring the tools are in place to allow Lakewood to take a more direct role in shaping how the next generation of businesses within its major commercial districts should look, feel and coexist with surrounding neighborhoods.”

Among the proposed changes are new standards that include:

• Requiring business with drive-thru windows to conduct traffic studies.
• To install point-of-service speakers more than 50 feet away from the foundation of residential property — a break in the original plan that called for the drive-thru to be 50 feet away from the property line.
• No drive-thru in the city could operate between midnight and 6 a.m. — and no drive-thru adjacent to a residentially zoned area shall operate between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. However, there may be exceptions.
• Use of sound attenuation walls and landscaping would be encouraged.
• Limits on the lane itself, including that each stacking space must be at least 20 feet and the drive-thru lane must be separated from the parking lot with a striped line.

An item that noted that drive-thrus must also have a walk-up window was removed from the initial proposal.

The 31 drive-thru windows currently operating in the city — as well as the proposed McDonald’s at the location of the former — would not be affected by any changes to the code.

“The challenge is always balancing our long commercial corridors with residential neighborhood,” said Dru Siley, the city’s director of planning and development.

“How do we promote growth and development in the commercial sector, but also protect our neighborhoods? We’ve always said that housing is our No. 1 industry — housing is our economic development in Lakewood. This is that effort to have that discussion." 

It’s not just new fast-food restaurants that would be affected by the changes, but drive-thru pharmacies and banks. 

After to plant the on the former Detroit Theatre property in April, have turned to to voice their concerns.

At the , the city’s planning and development department conducted a review of every drive-thru in Lakewood and compiled a summary of the applicable language in the current zoning code.