VENICE – Rumors that the potential development of the former Venice Circus Arena property could include a Chick-fil-A chain restaurant prompted City Council Member Ron Smith to ask the rest of the board to direct staff Tuesday on how to best institute a ban of such restaurants on the island of Venice.
No paperwork submitted to the city indicates a Chick-fil-A is planned for the location. And there have been no such chain drive-thru restaurants on the island in recent memory, though banks have drive through services, Venetian Cleaners has a drive-through window and the Gold Rush restaurant had an outdoor service window.
But the idea of any fast-food chains triggered concerns that the city should act to preclude them among people who thought they would diminish the character of the island-centered community.
The possibility of such restaurants being located in the central business district is one byproduct of the city’s land-development regulations, which were adopted in 2022 and allow for the possibility on the island in the South Trail District, as well as Downtown and in the Downtown Edge District, Planning Director Roger Clark noted.