What’s going there?

Chick-fil-a

SWC of SW College Rd & SW 48^th Ave

Ocala, FL

Chick-fil-a will soon be joining Walgreens, Bonefish Grill, Yamato Japanese Steakhouse, Racetrack and other retailers at the intersection of SW College Road and SW 48^th Avenue. This location is just over one mile south of College Road’s interchange with Interstate-75 and just a few blocks south of the Market Street @ Heath Brook development.

Fore Property Company should begin development soon on the 2.17-acre site, proposed for a 4,947 sf, freestanding, quick-service restaurant (QSR). The improvements will include double drive-thru lanes that will wrap the southern portion of the building. There will be a maximum seating capacity of 114 patrons along with 72 on-site parking spaces (14.4 spaces per 1,000 sf). While no terms were disclosed, the underlying site is likely being ground leased on a long-term basis.

This site is an excellent window into the transitioning real estate needs for QSR, and Chick-fil-a in particular. The building’s large indoor seating capacity, coupled with double drive-thru lines and 14.4:1,000 sf parking, the land area requirements of some QSR outlets appear to be increasing.