If everything goes according to plan, the golden arches will be coming to Tilbury.
An initial development application for an area of Mill Street West with plans for a combination gas bar and convenience store along with a proposed McDonald's restaurant with a drive-through was unanimously approved at Monday night's Chatham-Kent council meeting.
Before construction can start, an official site plan and a zoning change will still need to be approved -- no specific dates were included in the report for when that could take place.
While Chatham-Kent council approved the move without any opposition, not everyone in the community is in favour of a restaurant chain moving into town.
Tilbury-area municipal councillor Melissa Harrigan said some concerns were raised about how the new development could affect smaller businesses that have already been established in the area.
"I would argue that [the existing restaurants] have some pretty loyal customers and offer their own unique products," said Harrigan, adding that new business coming to town is a good thing overall. "That area of Tilbury has just been waiting there with a vacant sign... for some time."
An initial sketch of the proposed development at the site was provided in the application that was approved Monday night and you can see that below.
According to the developer, the new McDonald's is expected to create between 45-55 part-time and full-time jobs.
