Penfield, N.Y. – Plans for a new Chick-fil-A in Penfield have sparked concerns among many residents.

Community members who are part of the organization Preserve Penfield voiced their concerns about the potential traffic impacts this project may bring, at Thursday night’s planning board meeting.

The proposed construction of a Chick-fil-A on State Route 250 are plans that have been two years in the making. However, some neighbors feel these development plans are insufficient.

Tony Perrone, president of “Preserve Penfield,” says he doesn’t want the fast-food chain in his backyard and has several concerns about this project.

“Many of us started digging into the traffic studies that were used as a basis for the proposal and found some oversights, missing information, and cherry-picked data in the conclusions,” Perrone said. “That was backed up by data further on in the document and it was just generally shown through rose-colored glasses.

Chick-fil-A has made several adjustments to its site plan, including adding a crosswalk, widening the drive-thru lane, and installing a new traffic signal. The company claims the project will create 100 to 125 jobs and states that the Department of Transportation’s data shows no significant traffic impacts.

Despite these changes, and the jobs it will bring, some residents remain concerned. Mel Callan said the risk of people getting injured due to traffic is a bigger concern.

“I’m just concerned about the types of jobs that they would have. I think that job development is always good in the community maybe many of them would be part-time, young people, which is fine. But it doesn’t outweigh the concerns for the traffic, the risks for accidents happening.”

The planning board has tabled the project until Chick-fil-A provides additional materials for review. The next meeting is scheduled for January 9 in Penfield.