A fast food giant has decided to set up shop in Grand Forks.
City council approved a development permit this morning from an agent for McDonald’s Canada to build a restaurant at the corner of Central Avenue (Highway 3) and 27th Street.
Mayor Everett Baker is happy another brand has chosen to move into the city of 4,100, following in the footsteps of Tim Hortons and Tesla.
“I think this is a tremendous opportunity. Another brand name has chosen to come to Grand Forks and I think that only bodes well for us. It took many years for us to get Tims here and we now have Tesla and we’ll now have McDonald’s,” Baker said.
Area D Director Linda Kay Wiese added it’s “a big deal for a small place.”
As part of the form and character of the building, councillors questioned some of the design for the 5,000 square foot structure.
Coun. Neil Krog wondered if the golden arches could be something other than yellow, pointing to the location in Sedona, Ariz. where the golden arches are light bluish-green in order to fit in with the surroundings.
But staff cautioned that any requests to change the building could be seen as an additional cost to the developer and a disincentive to build.
Council ultimately decided to leave the application as is before approving it.
Some councillors were also concerned about headlights from cars facing west in the drive-thru shining into the eyes of eastbound drivers on Highway 3.
A traffic study is underway to see if a traffic light will be needed on Highway 3, either at North Fork Road or 27th Street.
There’s no timeline for construction.
As part of approving the application, the developer will have to submit an $87,000 deposit.
The entire construction investment is $1.6 million.
