DALLAS — This story was originally published by our content partners at the Dallas Business Journal. Read the original version here.
A busy fast food restaurant’s drive-thru is back in the spotlight for not quite fitting into the vision of a walkable downtown Dallas held by some city leaders.
The McDonald's drive-thru at 1000 Commerce St. will likely remain open for two more years: the City Plan Commission voted Nov. 7 in favor of renewing its special-use permit for that long. But some commissioners stressed that they would not renew it again and encouraged the franchisee to find ways to adapt.
Dallas City Council still needs to weigh in, which could happen later this year or in early 2025.
Dallas Business Journal first reported earlier this year that the downtown McDonald’s was at risk of closing after a permit for the location's drive-thru expired in December 2023.
That necessitated going back to City Hall for renewals, since drive-thrus are generally not allowed downtown under zoning rules. The ensuing debate has centered on a single fast-food location but really speaks to competing visions for downtown Dallas' future.
Critics of the drive-thru see it as a roadblock to the vibrant, walkable district they imagine. Others defend the spot as a cheap and fast place to grab a bite to eat in an increasingly expensive city.
Representatives for franchisee McKaren McDonald's LP did not respond to a request for comment. But the company has previously said it needs to keep the drive-thru open in order to keep this location in business.
Fast food fight at City Hall
The City Plan Commission voted against the recommendations of city staffers to renew the special-use permit for five years. Staffers also recommended some amendments including adding landscaping enhancements with native Texas plants, screening along South Griffin Street for pedestrian safety and more marked pedestrian crosswalks.
"The site has previously been found to be suitable given the surrounding land uses, which are largely surface parking lots, a parking garage, and two office buildings in close proximity,” the city staff's case report reads, noting the surrounding land use has not changed in recent years.
The staff report also determined the drive-thru is "not detrimental to the area," citing that the transportation department has not found it to adversely impact the flow of traffic on Commerce Street.
City Plan Commissioner Melissa Kingston described the amendments as "proverbial lipstick on the pig." The CPC ultimately voted to renew the permit without any modifications.
In an interview before the Nov. 7 meeting, Kingston said she felt the permit does not comply with downtown Dallas' 360 Plan or with the city's environmental action plan or Vision Zero, which aims to lower traffic-related deaths in Dallas.
More importantly, downtown Dallas is headed toward a more walkable and dense future, Kingston believes, and she feels the McDonald's isn’t keeping pace with that. With the Greyhound bus station slated to close and relocate and plans advancing to redevelop part of Bank of America Plaza, it is evident downtown Dallas has a lot of transformation in store.
"I think there's a lot of potential for substantial urbanization and redevelopment in that area that is not consistent with a drive-thru restaurant," said Kingston, who on the commission represents District 14 where the McDonald's is located. "That doesn't even take into consideration what the city plans to do with the convention center."
She clarified she isn't opposed to the fast food restaurant itself — just the drive-thru.
Furthermore, Kingston believes she and her fellow commissioners have given the McDonald’s operators enough time to figure how to stay afloat without a drive-thru.
"Instead of reconfiguring their business to operate without a drive-thru, they have tried to delay the hearing on this and pretty much done everything they can do in order to keep their drive-thru," she said.
The downtown McDonald's is open 24 hours, seven days a week. It's a busy spot and its history with the Golden Arches spans decades — potentially back to 1979. It's only a block away from Bank of America Plaza, the tallest building in Dallas. But it's in a relatively overlooked part of downtown, one that's dotted with parking lots.
With affordable dining options limited in the urban core, McDonald’s is one place where downtown workers can get a quick and cheap meal.
There are a few other downtown fast food locations, including a Chick-Fil-A on Elm Street, which does not have a drive-thru. It is also a busy spot and attracts a significant lunchtime rush during the work week.
Kingston noted that downtowns across the country have successful McDonald’s locations without a drive-thru, including in downtown San Antonio with a location in a historic building just steps from the River Walk.
"There are successful McDonald's in downtowns all over the world that operate without a drive-thru," she said. "This operator could be one of them, or they could choose not to be one of them. That's up to them."
