San Jose Spotlight
A popular fast-food chain known for its crispy chicken sandwiches could get a second chance in Campbell after the City Council unanimously rejected it four years ago. Some locals see this as a plus for businesses, while others question how the project is back on the table.
Campbell officials want to welcome Chick-fil-A back, which is in line with the city's recently revised economic development plan that aims to fill vacant parcels of land. Community Development Director Rob Eastwood said Campbell went back to Chick-fil-A to meet these development goals and added the proposed location has attracted homeless camps and illegal dumping since the South Bascom Avenue Denny's closed in 2021.
"It would fill a vacant site that's been a code enforcement issue. It's always nice to not have that," he told San Jose Spotlight. "Selling chicken burgers, that does bring in sales tax revenue. Campbell seems to provide a lot of restaurants and services that help people who live here or drive here. It seems like a very popular restaurant."
City officials reviewed an updated proposal to the Development Review Committee last week, this time without a drive-thru. The restaurant would replace the vacant building at 2060 S. Bascom Ave. -- owned by a commercial net lease realty LP. Plans include a 5,752-square-foot restaurant with about 122 seats and 62 parking spaces. It could employ about 100 workers.
The Planning Commission has to approve the project, and if it does, it would not need to go to the city council unless the decision is appealed.
Company representatives were unavailable for comment.
Some businesses are leery of the how the franchise could affect their operation.
Maria Barbosa, manager of The Habit Burger Grill in Campbell, said the restaurant could cost her business sales if approved because it would be less than a block away on the same side of the street. She said her location likely won't shutter if the Chick-fil-A goes through, but it's still concerning.
"Chick-fil-A is a little bit more popular than The Habit and a lot of people like Chick-fil-A," she told San Jose Spotlight. "Then we (would) have to cut hours and we are (already) cutting hours now."
Chick-fil-A tried to open a Campbell location back in 2020 at the site of the former Denny's. Councilmembers denied approval after an outpouring of community opposition and concern over traffic congestion caused in other locations, such as the Chick-fil-A in Sunnyvale. The eatery reached back out after losing the bid and city officials followed up late last year to ask if they were still interested.
Some business owners, however, see an opportunity if the fast-food franchise moves in.
Shawn Wuollet has owned the nearby Taco Bravo on South Bascom Avenue since the early 1970s and is a proponent of Chick-fil-A joining the row of eateries lining the street. He doesn't know how the city will handle the traffic increase, but said it will likely draw customers to his casual Mexican spot.
"It brings business because pretty soon people get tired of eating that Chick-fil-A," he told San Jose Spotlight. "They'll go 'Oh is that Taco Bravo right there? Let's try tacos today.'"
The first attempt to bring a Chick-fil-A into Campbell caused a major uproar in the Dry Creek neighborhood off of South Bascom Avenue.
Residents such as Catherine Clock heard about the initial proposal and filed appeals after it was approved by the planning commission, citing concerns about increased traffic on an already busy street and nearby intersection at South Bascom and Campbell avenues. The city council unanimously approved the appeals, stopping the restaurant project.
Clock, who moved to Campbell in 2016, lives and works as a real estate agent near the proposed site. She said she's not surprised the city is still pursuing the idea because of how it handled the initial proposal. She said the city completed a good amount of work on the first project trying to slip it through before notifying the residents.
Clock added this proposal is worse than the one with the drive-thru because it doesn't get traffic in and out as fast. She would like to see a hotel or housing at the location.
"It's a nightmare. That little area right now with The Pruneyard and the downtown is already jammed with traffic," she told San Jose Spotlight. "I think it's about local business, and I think (about) it for the neighborhoods, for the property values in the neighborhoods. It's a lose-lose."
South Bascom Avenue has multiple housing developments underway in neighboring San Jose. Eastwood said the property owner was not interested in housing, despite Campbell's goal to create 3,870 homes by 2031 to meet state mandates, 1,542 of which must be deemed affordable to low-income residents.
There are about 10 Chick-fil-As in Santa Clara County, six of which are in San Jose, with its newest location opening on Aug. 22 in Gilroy.
Summer Carignan, manager of Haze Smoke Shop near the proposed Campbell site, said she'd eat there if it went through.
"Chick-fil-As do generate a lot of traffic but that's better for us, more people around," she told San Jose Spotlight. "Who doesn't like Chick-fil-A?"
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