Planning Board Delays Chick-fil-A Over Fire Truck Access

Planning Board · Meeting of September 17, 2026

Burlington's Planning Board continued three Chick-fil-A applications for 2 Wall Street to October 1 after independent traffic engineer Jeffrey Dirk testified a fire truck cannot maneuver through the site's parking lot while the restaurant is open. Chair Brenda Rappaport criticized the applicant's team for submitting responses late in the review, calling it "a blatant disrespect of our board." Dirk's peer review found the nearby Woburn Chick-fil-A generates roughly twice the traffic volume the applicant estimated for Burlington, a gap member Gregory Ryan pressed on using statistical analysis, asking for "a real answer." Dirk also said the Wall Street and Cambridge Street signal will need retiming, requiring a Massachusetts Department of Transportation permit, before the restaurant can open. The board also continued a site plan for 85 Wilmington Road and postponed a vote to adopt Town Center Design Guidelines, both to October 1.

A minor engineering change at 92 Middlesex Turnpike tied to a Long's Jewelers build-out was resolved administratively.

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Source: the Planning Board meeting of September 17, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.