Popeyes restaurant proposed for Route 47 site in Huntley

Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen is proposing a 2,454-square-foot drive-through location along Route 47 in Huntley.

The restaurant would sit between an O'Reilly Auto Parts, 12380 Route 47, and Panda Express, 12340 Route 47. The parking lot would accommodate 20 vehicles and include cross-access to the O'Reilly parking lot.

The main entrance will be on the south elevation of the building.

During a conceptual review of the proposal Feb. 13, Huntley Village Trustee Ronda Goldman said she was concerned about accessibility to the restaurant because of the poor visibility near the access road.

A plan for the restaurant's signage includes five wall signs in addition to a ground sign along the access drive that was not provided as part of the conceptual review.

Although the village's sign ordinance allows one wall sign per tenant or one per street frontage on corner lots, the requested relief is consistent with similar requests from other fast-food restaurants in Huntley.

Popeyes also has McHenry County locations at 1425 S. Eastwood Drive in Woodstock and 340 W. Virginia St. in Crystal Lake. There are plans to open another at a former Arby's building at 1800 N. Richmond Road in McHenry.

Popeyes was founded in 1972 and now has thousands of restaurants around the world, according to its website.

The chain is known for its fried chicken and buttermilk biscuits but also serves fried fish and shrimp, sandwiches and wraps, as well as a variety of Southern-style side dishes such as Cajun rice and jambalaya.