A Chick-fil-A location in Palmer Township may soon become a reality after receiving a key approval.
The Palmer Township Planning Commission recently recommended that the Board of Supervisors grant conditional approval to the proposed restaurant at 601 S. 25th St. at the intersection of William Penn Highway and South 25th Street. It was home to a former Rite Aid, which closed about three years ago.
The proposal calls for demolishing the existing building and replacing it with a 5,483-square-foot Chick-fil-A restaurant. The plans include 90 indoor seats, two drive-thru lanes designed to accommodate a combined queue of 38 vehicles, and parking for 65 vehicles.
The latest plans call for vehicles to enter and exit the property from the west side of the lot, with access to the surrounding shopping center from either William Penn Highway or South 25th Street.
The Board of Supervisors will consider final approval of the land development plan.
The recommendation follows earlier delays as the developer worked to address township concerns. The project received special exception approval for a drive-thru restaurant and variances allowing 65 parking spaces and five wall signs from the township’s Zoning Hearing Board in October 2025.
The Planning Commission first considered the land development plan in November 2025, voting to accept the application but table it for further consideration.
This past summer, the proposal faced an additional delay when the developer asked the commission to table the application while it addressed issues raised by the township.
Township Planning Director Craig Beavers previously said the outstanding items included revisions to stormwater management plans, updated landscaping and lighting compliance charts, and documentation of reviews by outside agencies.
The township’s latest review indicates that remaining technical issues can be addressed as conditions of approval.
Beavers said the developer has not given an estimated opening date. Following potential Board of Supervisors approval, he said construction could take four to six months to begin.
Traffic and roadway access are among the key elements of the proposal. The plans call for reconfiguring the property’s driveway access along William Penn Highway, as well as installing a crosswalk with a more direct route across the driveway to improve pedestrian safety.
The township’s engineering consultant also recommends a sidewalk connection on the property leading to the driveway entrance. The developer must provide a streetlight at the intersection of William Penn Highway and the restaurant’s access driveway.
The plans also include pedestrian-scale ornamental streetlights along William Penn Highway. The township’s review calls for additional work on the driveway crosswalk and other site details before the plans can be finalized.
The project would also add transportation options beyond driving. Plans include a landing pad and loading area for a Lehigh and Northampton Transportation Authority bus rapid transit station along William Penn Highway, with an accessible loading pad required under the authority’s review comments.
The stop is intended to support LANTA’s planned EBS Blue Line service, which is expected to provide frequent bus service between Easton and Trexlertown. The project also includes a bicycle rack and a pedestrian connection along South 25th Street.
The township’s review indicates that the proposal generally aligns with the municipality’s transportation goals, which call for safer connections among businesses, neighborhoods, sidewalks, bicycle routes and transit stops. The review also recommended considering a pedestrian connection along William Penn Highway.
Other planned improvements include enhanced landscaping, a “Welcome to Palmer Township” sign along the property’s frontage and changes to the site’s utility and stormwater plans.
Before construction can begin, the developer must satisfy a series of conditions, including obtaining required permits, securing approval of stormwater and erosion-control plans, and addressing comments from township engineers, consultants, staff and LANTA.
The township also requires a $9,570 payment in lieu of dedicating open space, based on the property’s 1.74 acres.