City 'Drive Thru' ordinance may keep W Broadway Burger King building closed
The former Burger King on W Broaway Ave. closed in April of 2018. Photo by Abdi Mohamed
By Abdi Mohamed Staff Reporter
Sitting shuttered for months, the former Burger King at 818 W Broadway Ave in North Minneapolis will likely remain closed for the foreseeable future due to a new city ordinance prohibiting drive-through facilities.
The Drive-Through Facilities Amendment was adopted by the Minneapolis City Council on Aug. 8, 2019 and following a mayoral signature, went into effect on Aug 17. It banned new businesses from parcels like the one at 818 W. Broadway Ave from operating with a drive-through.
According to the City website for the ordinance, the aim is to “achieve consistency with policies found in the Minneapolis 2040 comprehensive plan,” and to limit emissions and air pollution resulting from idling vehicles.
Some Northside business leaders say the law will have unintended consequences— particularly in situations like the one facing the W Broadway Burger King. A dormant building can negatively impact the businesses around it.
Mohamed Hus owns and operates the Chicago JJ Fish and Chicken restaurant across the street from the former Burger King. He is frustrated by the amount of activity that takes place around the building. “It impacts the whole area to be honest,” Hus said. “It brings a lot of people who hang out in the back over there and nobody can see what they’re doing. It brings a lot of bad people to the area and that will run the good people out of the area.”
Dave Colling, the executive director of the West Broadway Business and Area Coalition, says he has had conversations with numerous business owners and community members who are concerned with the existence of the boarded up business on Broadway. “We’ve heard from several business owners that say they’d love to see something in that space,” said Colling. “Anytime we have a business that’s shuttered like that and left empty, it really hurts other businesses around it.”
A representative from the City, Casper Hill, shared that the Minneapolis 2040 plan “underwent a great deal of public engagement prior to its final adoption, and the prohibition on new drive-through facilities was clearly spelled out in that comprehensive plan.”
However, some business owners are still left questioning the purpose of the ordinance.
President of JADT Development Group Tim Baylor expressed his disagreement with the ordinance. Baylor owns the McDonald’s located on W Broadway Ave and has developed several properties on the Northside. “I do not agree with the ordinance. I have not seen any rational or decision logic to warrant such a decision,” Baylor said.
Currently operating businesses with drive-through facilities are exempt from the ban, however new properties with drive-throughs are prohibited from being built. If a business were to remain closed for over a year, that business would no longer be able to operate with a drivethrough. Pharmacies, banks, and fast food restaurants are all included in this description.
Renovating a former drive-through facility may be a steep cost for some business owners and serve as an obstacle for their development.
A representative from the Mayor’s office said that business owners looking to redevelop a business would receive some support from their office. “If there is a business or person that’s interested in redeveloping an old site with a drive thru, in some way shape or form, then we’re more than happy to work with anyone interested in opening a shuttered commercial parcel,” the representative said.