FARMINGTON -- Dairy Queen opened a new restaurant in Farmington last year and now Taco Bell is coming to town.
The Farmington Planning Commission recently approved the large-scale development plan for a Taco Bell. The restaurant will be located between the Walmart Neighborhood Market and Casey's General Store on Main Street.
The undeveloped land between the two businesses has been split and Taco Bell will be in the 0.66-acre lot nearest to the market. It will have two entrances, one off Main Street and a shared driveway with the market. An empty lot will be between Casey's and Taco Bell.
"There's nothing special about it. It will be just like the others," Geoffrey Bates with Bates & Associates engineering firm told the Planning Commission at its June 26 meeting.
The land is owned by Oakland Farms LLC. Bates said G. Oney & Associates has a contract to purchase the land, pending approval of the large scale development plan.
Gerald Oney with G. Oney & Associates of Walnut Shade, Mo., said his firm has built 190 Taco Bell restaurants for franchisee K-Mac Enterprises Inc., of Fort Smith. K-Mac will be the franchisee for the Farmington Taco Bell.
Oney said the Main Street site will be a good location for Taco Bell.
"I think the development is improving out that way," Oney said by telephone. "There are other (Taco Bell) restaurants in that area and it's time for one in Farmington."
The firm will close on purchasing the land in mid-July and construction should start in the latter part of July. Oney said it should take about 75 calendar days to build the new restaurant.
"We're pleased to be there," Oney said. "It's a great location and I'm happy things worked out."
The large-scale development plans show the building will have 2,250 square feet, will seat a capacity of 50 customers and has 24 parking spaces and two handicapped spaces. A detention pond will be located in the back of the property for storm water drainage.
According to a Taco Bell spokesman, there are 7,000 Taco Bell restaurants in the United States, with plans to grow to 8,000 restaurants by t2022.
Mayor Ernie Penn said he is not surprised that Taco Bell wants to come to Farmington.
"It is quite obvious that with the rapid growth of Farmington and the number of vehicles that travel through our town each day, franchise-type businesses are locating west to Farmington," Penn said by email. "There is a lot less traffic congestion in Farmington than in Fayetteville, and our businesses service customers in not only Farmington, but our neighboring communities of Prairie Grove, Lincoln, West Fork and in bordering Oklahoma. Farmington has been very blessed to have these types of businesses locating to our community."
NW News on 07/17/2017