{Cheesecake Factory}
By Bryan Boggiano
The Coconut Creek Promenade could be the site of a new Cheesecake Factory location, as long as the city commission gives final approval to site plans at the Promenade.
The Coconut Creek City Commission discussed the new location at their Wednesday, July 14 meeting and approved the site on the first reading.
A second reading is scheduled for Aug. 25. If approved, the restaurant will be completed by Summer 2023.
The Cheesecake Factory would occupy about 9,067 square feet on the south side of the Promenade near the Lyons Road entrance, covering a portion of the former Banana Republic and Charming Charlie.
The new location would have an outdoor patio of about 1,400 square feet.
[City of Coconut Creek]
Officials also discussed the potential for a seasonal valet parking service roughly between October and March.
Restaurant staff would park vehicles at the Monarch High School parking lot. The cost of the service for patrons would be $7.
For customers relying on takeout, the restaurant will have seven designated parking spots.
Despite the new restaurant possibly adding to the Promenade’s backbone, residents and businesses expressed concerns about traffic and parking.
In a July 7 meeting with Promenade property tenants, several attendees mentioned that the Promenade already had too few parking spaces, and the addition of The Cheesecake Factory could worsen the problem.
In that meeting, MCA Promenade Owner, LLC, explained that underutilized parking garages and valet parking would cover the increased parking demand, according to a public letter.
Tenants also expressed concerns over what happens if the School Board of Broward County does not let the Promenade lease parking spaces at Monarch long-term since the leasing contract is annual.
That would cut 144 parking spaces, but the Promenade would still have 1,416 spaces, still above the code-required minimum of 999.
In a July 7 meeting with community members, multiple residents expressed concerns about traffic on Lyons Road and Cullum Road and the need for traffic-calming devices such as traffic signals, speed bumps, and signage.
According to city documents, Broward County has authority over whether traffic lights are necessary at this intersection.
At the July 14 commission meeting, multiple residents from Coquina spoke about traffic backing up onto Lyons Road and inaccessibility to their neighborhoods due to traffic.
They believe that if The Cheesecake Factory were to be built, it would create a traffic nightmare.
“I can only imagine how bad it’s going to get if nothing additional is done to manage the traffic,” said Coquina resident Anthony Horn.
Multiple city commission members expressed the same concerns, but ultimately, they welcomed the prospect of The Cheesecake Factory in the Promenade.
The commission approved the new location unanimously.
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