Shake Shack Looks To Expand Into Livonia / Northville Township
CBS Detroit - With Chik-fil-A now up and running on Haggerty Road, another fast food restaurant is eyeing a piece of land on the strip. Shake Shack narrowly got approval to go forward to use land on the corner of Seven Mile and Haggerty Road where the former Romano's Macaroni Grill building now sits vacant according to Hometown Life.
Shake Shack had submitted a waiver of use from the Livonia City Planning Commission which was narrowly approved with a 4-3 vote as members voiced concerns over traffic at the already busy intersection could increase accidents. Planning Commissioner Peter Ventura told Hometown Life he voted no to the approval because his experiences of going to the Home Depot across the street. "The likelihood of anybody exiting this Macaroni Grill site and getting into the left turn lane to go south on Haggerty Road is going to be highly problematic," he said. "That's going to create a very dangerous situation. That's my opinion." he told Hometown Life.
Both Seven Mile and Haggerty roads fall under the jurisdiction of Wayne County. Judy Kroll is a traffic engineer with Fleis & Vandenbrink in Farmington Hills and is working with Shake Shack. kroll said she is in communication with the county to limit turns during peak traffic hours. For Shake Shack they are happy about being one step closer to opening their next location. The plan is to demolish the old Macaroni Grill building and construct a new one with about the same size foot print. Allison Palmadesso is a senior design manager for Shake Shack, which is based in New York City, told Hometown Life, "Shake Shack really thinks of itself not only as fast-casual but we actually refer to ourselves as fine-casual dining, and we really strive to make all of our restaurants a true community gathering place for the communities we go into."
The new building will have a drive-thru and options for dining inside or outside. Shake Shack started a s hot dog cart in New York City, and has grown to locations in 30 states and 14 countries. Specializing in hot dogs, burgers, fries, and milk shakes. Also planned for the site is a bank to take the space of the parking lot next door.
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