Thursday, March 18, 2004 Officials with McDonald's Corp. told Orange Township trustees on March 15 the company wants to test a new, experimental building design at its restaurant on U.S. Route 23, north of Powell Road. Gust Mecera, an assistant construction manager for McDonald's, and Ed Hurst, a corporate architect, presented trustees with plans that call for an all-new look for the restaurant, located in front of the Kohl's shopping center. The restaurant currently is characterized by its stone exterior and the company's trademark angled and intermittently lighted roof lines. If approved, the company's remodeling plan calls for what Mecera described as an "arcade" look, with stone and brick pillars, flat roof lines and a few angled awnings, mainly covering the drive-through area. A distinguishing feature of the proposed design is a single, lightly sloping golden arch to be located atop a parapet wall at the front of the building. This single arch is designed to supplement the company's traditional twin "golden arches" that have served as the restaurant's identifying logo for many years, Mecera said. The restaurant's exterior will remain brick and stone, and will include dark and natural-looking earth tones, Hurst added. Mecera said McDonald's is considering ways to change its image after nearly 50 years in the fast-food business. The proposed re-design for the Orange Township restaurant is part of an experimental program to test the new look at seven restaurants across the country, including three in central Ohio, he added. "McDonald's feels it might be time to investigate some new looks," Mecera said. Hurst said the company also plans to remodel the restaurant's interior. The interior proposal calls for "European-style seating," new ceilings, floors, lighting schemes, furniture and new, larger booths to better accommodate families, he added. McDonald's goal, Hurst said, is to create the image of a "casual dining establishment," rather than that of a traditional, fast food restaurant. "The vision is that this will be the new look for McDonald's throughout the world." Trustees took no action in regard to the plan, but said they generally liked the proposal. They noted, however, that some of the plan's architectural features likely will require the approval of the township's board of zoning appeals. Township Zoning Inspector Dick Gladman said that under the township's zoning code, the large arch planned for the front of the building is considered a sign. Because signs are not permitted above building roof lines, the arch would require a variance from the code, which must be granted by the BZA, he said. Trustee David Eby said he believes the Orange Township McDonald's is overdue for a new look, and noted that he believes the company's proposal "has some possibilities." Trustee Mark Robertson agreed, but expressed concern about potential lighting problems with the proposed arch. "I think it's nice," he said. "It looks similar to the Panera (Bread) across the street. I like it, but I'm concerned about the lighting plan," and its potential for creating light pollution. Robertson noted that potential lighting issues could be addressed by the BZA. The company officials said they plan to take the trustees' advice and will seek approval from the BZA before moving forward with their proposal. In other business March 15, trustees announced they will hold a special meeting on March 29 at 7 p.m. At the meeting, trustees plan to discuss park planning issues following voters' unofficial approval of a parks operating levy March 2. Eby said it is wise for the township to delay the park planning process until after the Delaware County Board of Elections' March 23 meeting, when the board will announce official election results.
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