Plans for a new Chick-fil-A restaurant in Columbia County are growing. Developers aim to redevelop an existing property at 4329 Belair Frontage Road into a 3,379-square-foot, drive-thru-only Chick-fil-A with outdoor patio seating. These plans are detailed in recent documents filed on Tuesday, Dec. 10, with Columbia County’s planning and zoning department.

The location off Interstate 20’s Exit 194 is the former home of Steak n’ Shake, which closed in August 2023. Due to its 30909 ZIP code, the Chick-fil-A would carry an Augusta address.

Property owner Ararat Miracle LLC approached the planning and zoning department in March 2024 with plans for a 2,848-square-foot Chick-fil-A drive-thru. Ararat is now requesting a variance to the property’s general commercial zoning. Bohler, a national civil engineering firm based in Atlanta, is representing Ararat.

“Due to the high traffic demand of the proposed Chick-fil-A development, the building must be situated closer to the Jimmie Dyess Parkway-Belair Frontage Road intersection to allow for the necessary drive-thru stacking to mitigate traffic buildup on Belair Frontage Road,” notes language in the variance obtained by The Augusta Chronicle.

According to Ararat, the property’s irregular triangular shape prevents the proposed development from complying with the county’s zoning regulations, which could result in unsafe traffic backups. Ararat has requested a building setback from 125 feet from the centerline of Belair Frontage Road to 10 feet from the property line.