By Shawn Raymundo
San Juan Capistrano is another step closer to having its own Chick-fil-A by 2020 after city council approved a resolution for the company to submit construction plans for its proposed walk-up and drive-thru-only restaurant.
Councilmembers voted unanimously on Tuesday, Feb. 6, to pass the resolution allowing for the demolition of the former Citibank building on Del Obispo Street and replace it with the Chick-fil-A.
With the council’s latest approval, Chick-fil-A has now obtained all the necessary land entitlements to develop the property, according to Assistant City Manager Jacob Green.
“This allows Chick-fil-A to submit construction plans to the city to obtain the necessary demolition and building permits to begin demolition of the current Citibank building and construction of the new restaurant building,” Green said in an email.
Green noted that the city doesn’t expect Chick-fil-A to turn in the construction plans until April, which would mean the building permits to begin construction will likely be issued around early summer.
For about the past five years, the national chain has been working with the city to search for the right site, Chick-fil-A Development Manager Jennifer Daw told the council.
Daw said that the city and Chick-fil-A will have a “wonderful relationship,” and that the new location will provide competitive wages to its employees.
The prospect of bringing a Chick-fil-A to the city was met with positive feedback as a handful of citizens spoke in favor of the restaurant. The addition of a Chick-fil-A, some of them said, would help the local economy by creating jobs and increasing sales-tax revenue to the city.
Local resident Jim Elder said he frequents the Chick-Fil-A in Laguna Niguel, but he’d prefer that the money and taxes he spends on food go toward a local business.
“I’ve been going to Laguna Niguel, spending some of my food money,” he said. “And the taxes that I spend in Laguna Niguel should be going to San Juan. … I strongly support the installation and the proposal to have that restaurant here.”
San Juan Capistrano Chamber of Commerce representative David Malt said the new Chick-fil-A would bring about 60 jobs locally.
“Welcoming new business in San Juan Capistrano strengthens the economy, and approving this proposed Chick-fil-A helps keep San Juan Capistrano healthy and robust,” Malt said. “Chick-fil-A deserves to be a part of San Juan Capistrano’s business community.”
The target opening of the new Chick-fil-A is scheduled for the second quarter of 2020, according to the city.
Chick-fil-A has cleared another hurdle in their seeking to open a restaurant here in San Juan Capistrano or San Clemente.
Chick-fil-A has been the subject of political controversy since the late-1960s due to its WinShape Foundation, a charitable endeavor which critics contend has evidenced a bias in the Chick-fil-A company by donating millions of dollars to groups with anti-gay agendas.
Why these religious extremophiles hang onto Old Testament teaching escapes me. Jesus was quite clear when he said in Matthew 22:37, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
In the Prophet Muhammad’s last sermon (circa 692 A.D.) he said “There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab, nor for a non-Arab over an Arab. Neither is the white superior over the black nor is the black superior over the white.”
In 1892 socialist minister Francis Bellamy published the Pledge of Allegiance. It has changed over the years, but one phrase has remained unchanged – “LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.” Those five words, in bold, like Christ’s “Love your neighbor as yourself,” and Muhammad’s “There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab, nor for a non-Arab over an Arab. Neither is the white superior over the black nor is the black superior over the white.” says it all: THERE ARE TO BE NO EXCEPTIONS..
‘And yet we continue to hate, demean and discriminate against those we perceive as different, even when the evidence says otherwise.
We are one species — Homo sapiens, and one race — Human. We began life in Africa, approximately 250,000 years ago, as a dark-skinned race. Between 65,000 and 103,000 years ago we began to migrate out of Africa, where we adapted to new environments.
The result of our adaptation to new environments has produced great diversity and strength in our nature. This adaptation causes a constant shuffle in the human genome, creating a genetic cocktail of human chromosomes trying out different changes: brown eyes, blue eyes, straight, curly, black, brown, red, blond hair, right-handed, left-handed, white skin, dark-skin, five fingers, six fingers, heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, transgenderism in each generation, all the result of our biological mixture, and all markers for discrimination.
None of the above are personal choices — none of the above created different species or races, and yet we have found ways to hate, demean, and discriminate among each other because of these differences. Sadly, much of this hatred, demeaning attitudes and discrimination comes from the the known hate groups that divide.
We enjoy great diversity here in San Juan Capistrano and San Clemente, and there is no space for those who would spread hatred within our communities.