HADLEY — Popeyes, the fast-food fried chicken restaurant, is looking to open its first Hampshire County restaurant on the Route 9 strip.
The Planning Board voted unanimously on July 20 to waive site plan review for proposed exterior changes to the vacant building at 335 Russell St., in the Mountain Farms Mall parking lot, that previously housed a Kentucky Fried Chicken until it closed four years ago.
But the approval of the initial work on the project only allows the company to begin exterior alterations to conform with corporate design, and does not permit Popeyes to begin putting up its exterior signs.
Planning Board members told Robert Grimaldi of G141 Architecture, LLC of Kenilworth, New Jersey, who was presenting on behalf of Popeyes, that the signs should be scaled back.
“There seems to be signs all over the place,” Planning Board Chairman James Maksimoski said.
The main sign reading “Popeyes,” facing South Maple Street, would be 32½ square feet.
Two smaller medallion signs, featuring a silhouette of a chicken in the middle surrounded by the words “Louisiana Kitchen,” would be about 7 square feet each.
Finally, what Grimaldi called a new branded element stating “Love That Chicken,” would be written, graffiti-like, on the side of the building and would total 93 square feet.
Hadley’s sign bylaw allows just 64 square feet total for all signs at a business.
“The number of signs is fine, the square footage is too much,” Maksimoski said.
In 2007, a renovation plan for the Kentucky Fried Chicken similarly ran into complications when the Planning Board asked the eatery owner to reduce the size of a portrait of Colonel Sanders.
Though Grimaldi requested contingent approval immediately, board member Joseph Zgrodnik said this was not possible.
“We want to see exactly what we’re getting before we make the approval,” Zgrodnik said.
As the meeting began, board member Michael Sarsynski implied that bringing the eatery to Hadley would be a popular decision.
“If it’s Popeyes chicken, I want to waive site plan approval,” Sarsynski joked.
“I appreciate that,” Grimaldi said.