The Richardson Restaurant Park, located near the intersection of Spring Valley Road and US 75, has yet another round of revised expansion plans. These latest plans have been greenlighted by the city plan commission. They are set to be considered by the council on Oct. 11.
The commission was informed of the revised expansion plans at a Sept. 21 meeting by applicants Kirk Hermansen and Clay Eiland. Hermansen is the developer of the restaurant park while Eiland is the owner of Eiland Coffee Roasters, a local small batch, artisan coffee roaster on Interurban Street.
Eiland is hoping to open the second location of Eiland Coffee Roasters on the north end of the restaurant park and wants to also include a coffee roasting warehouse and drive-thru restaurant. Eiland originally pitched his idea back in 2019. But the council voted it down, citing potential traffic congestion on the US 75 frontage road and insufficient parking as the main areas of concern.
Now, Eiland’s latest proposal includes a two-story drive-thru restaurant and a coffee roasting warehouse that will also house administrative offices.
Catalyst Commercial president, Jason Claunch, endorsed Eiland’s revised plan, saying it eliminated access from the frontage road, which should reduce traffic. He also noted that cross access and cross parking with Hermansen’s property should improve access for pedestrians and provide more parking.
According to a Community Impact report, the revised plan for Hermansen’s project eliminates one of two drive-thru lanes and obscures the drive-thru window by pushing the building further back from the road. It also removes the approved drive-thru from a separate restaurant pad Hermansen hopes to develop in the future.
Another addition to Hermansen’s plan is a 16,000-square-foot outdoor dining and entertainment plaza known as the Biergarten. The area would include picnic tables, a bar, a firepit with seating, cabanas, space for live music or movie screenings, a game court, and space for a food truck.
Of both revised plans, Hermansen said, “The sites are cohesive now. It’s the first time … that we have had the full vision come together.”
