Popeye’s Restaurant Hopes to Land on Squire Road

“Chicken sandwich, anyone?”

And thus, began well-known Revere attorney Gerry D’Ambrosio’s presentation about a new fast-food restaurant being proposed at 304 Squire Road.

“I’m here tonight on behalf of Popeye’s Louisiana Kitchen, the applicant in this matter,” said D’Ambrosio. “We’re here to convert 304 Squire Road, which is currently a defunct Honey Dew Donuts facility. The petitioner is requesting that the current property be redeveloped into a modern, state-of-the-art Popeye’s facility.”

D’Ambosio noted that restaurant use is already permitted on the site, and the implementation of a drive-thru lane and window is “the special permit request.”

D’Ambrosio said the Popeye’s building will be brand new, state-of-the-art, and fully code compliant. There will be a new landscaping beautification project on the property complete with new sidewalks as well.

Former Councillor-at-Large Anthony Zambuto called Popeye’s plans “a great proposal.”

Augustus Street resident Gennaro Cataldo expressed his support for the Popeye’s project. “I’ve been working with Revere Dev in good faith over the past week since I found out about the project to make sure it worked with our neighborhood, and so far, that’s all I’ve seen,” said Cataldo.

A resident of Derby Road asked the Council why she wasn’t notified in advance about the project’s presentation at Monday’s Council meeting. Council President Gerry Visconti responded that the notice went out to abutters who reside within 300 feet of the property.

The resident said there have been problems with littering in the area “from drive-thru restaurants that are on Squire Road,” indicating that Derby Road is often used as a cut-through roadway.

“This is only going to exacerbate this problem,” the resident said. “It’s going to increase litter. Everyone I spoke to is extremely opposed to this.”

Visconti said the Popeye’s restaurant proposal is being referred to the Council’s Zoning Subcommittee, “and if there are any people that have some concerns, I would ask them to come to the Zoning meeting and voice their concerns.”

Visconti announced that the next Zoning Subcommittee meeting will be held on Monday, May 9 at 5:30 p.m.

Ward 6 Councillor Richard Serino asked D’Ambrosio what would happen if the Council denied Popeye’s a drive-thru window.

“By right, this is what people don’t understand and they need to understand this,” responded D’Ambrosio. “This City Council approved the special permit in 2011. Not only did you approve it, but it’s on record. The use is already approved. It is the drive-thru that the previous owner didn’t put in. As far as Popeye’s goes, they’re more than willing to sit and talk to folks about trash issues and litter issues, because they’re concerned about that as well. But the project that’s before the City Council is way better than what you currently have there.

“I’m very confident that when people see what this project is, they’re going to say, ‘Wow, it is significantly better that what’s there now, and it’s an upgrade to the community, not a downgrade’, especially when you factor in the sidewalks, the signs, the new fencing along the side, the landscaping beds, and the traffic flow, stopping the traffic flow from going into Sigourney or Derby.

“And on top of it, they’re going to have a corporate neighbor that really cares about their image,” said D’Ambrosio.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.