HomeMy WebLinkAboutTACO BELL RESTAURANT PRELIMINARY AND FINAL PUD - 51-90A - MEDIA - CORRESPONDENCE...• .a,•a-va-reLurn, said ming.^''
Taco Bell ivies u
g p
Plan to raze home,
to r/e/f�ym�ro.del . i n_ stead
Proposal saves u.=
.60-year-old house,
,11
By ROBERT BAUN
The Coloradoan �•=•da7r
Under a plan (being hailed by
city officials, owners of the city's
two Taco Bell franchises plan to
turn a 60-year-old Fort Collins
home into a new restaurant next:
summer....
.y
-Taco Caliente Inc., a Loveland -
based franchise ownership
group, originally planned to tear
down the mission -style house at
1530 S. College to make way for a
new Taco Bell..
But resistance from the city
.and local, preservationists
Initially We didn't '....
spurred a unique proposal that
16
will save the house, previously
Want to dO it. Certainly-.
owned by optometrist James'
it's more expensive to
..,
.Wickersham .:, :
Taco Caliente currently oper-•'-'remodel
,
an existing a:T
ates a Taco Bell at 1538 S. of-'•.
�
', structure =7
lege = the corner of College and
Prospect. Under its original
_ "-Les Nordhagen,
Y
plan, the franchise owners
vice president, general
wanted to build a bigger restau-
manager of Taco Caliente
rant at 1530 S. College and tear
down the existing restaurant.
Under the new plan, Taco Cal-
Taco Caliente stuck with plans to
iente will remodel the Wickers-
expand at the site because of its
ham house, then build on a
_record of success. Taco Bell was
kitchen and a drive -through por-
, built at the Prospect -College
'
tal. The existing restaurant,
intersection in 1972.
cramped at the city's busiest
"I think they really liked that ;
intersection, does not have room .
location," said city planner Ted
for a drive -through. -
Shepard. "It's been good to them
When the remodeled house is
'
over the last 20 years."
ready next June, the old restau-
The expansion project also
rant will be demolished.
The new restaurant would seat
means more parking for Taco
93, more than twice the current
Bell customers, with 34 spaces to
seating. And the number of
be available. And the new layout
-will
employees would expand. to 60
ease traffic patterns.
from its current level of 40, said
•She and said the
P proposal
Les Nordhagen, vice president
must still clear some regulatory
and general. manager of Taco
hurdles. A public hearing on the
Caliente. The entire project will
Plan is scheduled before the Fort
cost about $1 million, he said.
Collins Planning and Zoning
"Initially we didn't want to do
Board at 6:30 p.m. Monday.
it," Nordhagen said. "Certainly .
"This is a national chain,
it's more expensive to remodel
owned by Pepsi Cola, with very <I
an existing structure ... But
strict corporate identification
through this evolution, we're
standards," he said,.referring to
excited about what we can cre-
the universal design standards
ate there. We've taken a proac-
held by most chains. "We think {
tive stance, and we're happy
this is certainly unique to Colo -
we're going to do it that way."
rado, and may be unique nation -
Despite the initial rejection,
ally."