By DAVID BROCK

email hidden; JavaScript is required 11:08 a.m. EST, December 13, 2011

A restaurant chain looking to locate in Danville for years made a palatable case Monday night to the City Commission for locating next to Walmart but likely will have to go through Planning & Zoning to get approval for its plans.
Representatives of Greer Companies, which owns Cheddar’s Casual Cafes in Kentucky and surrounding states, appeared before the commission to request the city waive a conservation easement on the Walmart Supercenter property. The restaurant would be located on 1.7 acres of the property to the west of Walmart’s building near the intersection of Hustonville Road and South Danville Bypass.

The company’s attorney, Tom Marks, said P&Z officials informed the group the easement, intended to maintain green space, needs to be abandoned by the city before P&Z can review plans for the restaurant.

The City Commission unanimously voted on a resolution stating it does not object to waiving the easement, but City Attorney Vince Pennington advised that the plat for the property doesn’t indicate the easement was ever dedicated to the city. He said the issue would have to be taken up when the plat goes through P&Z’s site plan review process.

Jody Lassiter, president and chief executive officer of the Danville-Boyle County Economic Development Partnership, introduced the restaurant representatives before the commission Monday. He said the easement was one-of-a-kind in the area and amounted to an unfair restriction on Walmart’s property.
During the meeting, Lee Greer, whose commercial real estate company has 24 Cheddars, including eight in Kentucky, said Danville would be the smallest town the restaurant has targeted. There are several locations in Lexington where Greer Companies is based.

Economic impact figures presented Monday indicated the restaurant would employ about 200, mostly part-time employees with an average hourly wage of $12.25 including tips. There would also be as many as seven management positions.
The restaurant averages $4.9 million in sales, but Greer said the restaurant, which will have seating for more than 400 people, could top $6 million in sales judging by recently opened franchises. Greer said Cheddar’s 8,600-square-foot restaurants, which are larger than many casual dining chain restaurants, usually attract more business for nearby eateries.

Greer has been trying to find a place for a Cheddar’s in Danville for four years, in large part because the city is a hub for eight surrounding counties with a total population of up to 80,000 and said the restaurant had the potential to draw from up to 13 surrounding counties.
Questions also were raised by resident Wilma Brown about whether traffic would be a concern at what is often a congested area and the last developed land on the south end of the city.

Representatives for the restaurant said the main entrance would likely be at Walton Crossing and Hustonville Road, which is a lighted intersection, a requirement for the restaurant when choosing a site. However, he noted there would be at least three other potential entrance and exit points at Popplewell Lane, Jane Trail and Brent Avenue, which connects to the bypass.