SPRINGDALE -- Waffle House plans to open a restaurant in downtown Springdale at the northeast corner of South Thompson Street and West Grove Avenue, according to a planning document.
The Planning Commission will consider the development plan for the proposed restaurant at its March 1 meeting.
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To find Waffle House locations in Northwest Arkansas, go to wafflehouse.com and click on “Locations” in the bar at the top of the screen.
This would be Waffle House's sixth location in Washington and Benton counties. The company already has one location in Springdale, one in Bentonville, one in Siloam Springs and two in Fayetteville, including one downtown, according to the company's website.
Pat Warner, vice president of culture for the company, wrote in an email the company is in negotiation for the property.
"It is our policy not to discuss future Waffle House restaurants until we have secured the property," Warner wrote.
The plan notes Hector Orellana and Marta Mancia own the property.
The location for the Waffle House sits within the boundaries of the downtown master plan area that aldermen approved in December. Those boundaries are Quandt Avenue and Caudle Avenue to the south, Huntsville Avenue to the north, Thompson Street to the west and Old Missouri Road to the east.
The downtown area needs more places to dine, said Misty Murphy, executive director of the Downtown Springdale Alliance. It would be good to have places for employees who work downtown to eat breakfast.
There were several developments built on South Thompson Street in Springdale in 2015.
The Sonic Drive-In at 1306 S. Thompson St. built a new building with a drive-thru because the old building didn't have one. That was completed in 2015, Patsy Christie, city director of planning and community development, has said.
A CVS Pharmacy at 2001 S. Thompson St. was opened in 2015, Christie has said.
A Captain D's at 909 S. Thompson St. was finished in late 2015, Mayor Doug Sprouse said.
Sprouse said he has seen continued aesthetic improvements to Thompson Street.
"I think things on Thompson are going in the right direction," he said.
The Waffle House plan shows a 34,475-square-foot site with a 10,276 square foot parking lot with 30 spaces. No square footage is given for the restaurant. There are two access drives planned off West Grove Avenue.
There would be sidewalk along the South Thompson Street and West Grove Avenue sides of the property, according to the plan. It also shows a small portion of sidewalk planned on the northwest portion of the property. Fourteen trees and 98 shrubs are noted on the plan for landscaping.
The plan also notes items that would need to be removed from the property. Those items include a sidewalk, asphalt and a septic tank.
NW News on 02/09/2016