Nicole Bradford
Pearland Zoning Board of Adjustment on Thursday voted to recommend an exception to city rules that would allow a drive-thru-only “Salad and Go” restaurant to open at 1509 Broadway St.
The Tempe, Arizona-based chain has recently expanded into the Houston and Dallas markets. Typically employing about 19, Salad and Go locations offer salads and wraps for around $6.25 plus breakfast burritos, cold brew, coffee, tea, and juices.
The proposed Pearland site, annexed into the city in 1960 and located near the intersection of Dixie Farm Road, was formerly a bank that opened in 2005. It is now unoccupied and set for demolition.
Proposed is an 865-square-foot building with drive-thru lanes with no indoor seating, plus landscaping along Broadway to replace shrubs that died during a recent freeze.
The ZBA on Thursday also voted to recommend a requested variance from requirements regarding ground-level windows, designed to create a storefront district.
The Salad and Go building will function solely as a commercial kitchen, and only equipment and storage would be visible.
“It wouldn’t add any visual appeal to the site to have the ability to view of that part of our building,” real estate development manager Graham Hildebrand told the board. “You’re just going to see an icemaker, chillers and our electrical conduit.”