Article Contributed on: 9/26/2008 4:22:26 PM
Dear Dot,
I was hoping your Sept. 11 issue had an article regarding the McDonald's at Pierce Street and Alameda Avenue, but there was no mention of it. Do you know why they knocked down the aforementioned McDonald's and do you know if they are planning on building a new one at the same location?
-Janet Martinez
Lakewood
Dear Janet,
Thanks for the question! The McDonald's at 6801 W. Alameda Ave. was leveled to make way for a brand new McDonald's building, according to
Paul Rice, a senior planner with the city of Lakewood's planning and zoning department.
The reason the old building, built in 1985, was knocked down was to update the building to the current McDonald's prototype, a "shoe-box" shaped building with vertical architectural elements, Rice said.
Another reason for the demolition was that McDonald's wanted to reconfigure the drive-through lane to have two menu boards, instead of just one that was existing at the location, Rice said. Interesting fact: McDonald's makes most of its business on drive-through orders, he said.
"Several residents in the neighborhood have asked me if there will be a McDonald's play area -- no, it will not have a play area," Rice said. "But it will have an outdoor patio sitting area when it's rebuilt."
The city worked with McDonald's to conform the exterior of the new building to its ordinance standards for the Alameda corridor. The standards state that buildings along Alameda have to create a pedestrian-oriented street environment for walking and shopping and be constructed of high-quality materials to enhance the appearance of the corridor, Rice said.
More details on the requirements for buildings along the Alameda corridor can be found at www.lakewood.org/cpd under "zoning" and "article 21."
The new store plans to be open by the end of 2008.