Chick-fil-a presents plan for former Tee Jaye’s site
Chick-fil-a is moving forward with its plans to replace the former Tee Jaye’s Country Place at 4910 N. High St. in Clintonville, while keeping the iconic arrow sign.
The Atlanta-based fast-food restaurant has filed to rezone two properties as commercial planned development, which gives the developer more flexibility in certain design standards, graphics, density and setback on the parcels there.
Two access points to Chick-fil-a from North High Street are planned, along with a one-way entrance point leading to the restaurant from Arbor Village Drive on the east.
The plan is to raze the former Tee Jaye’s and replace it with a 5,000square-foot restaurant with a twolane drive-thru. Parking would be
adjacent to the east.
Another property between the parking lot and Arbor Village Drive also would be in the commercial planned district. The site plan calls for putting a Valvoline oil-change station on a vacant site at the corner of Morse Road and Arbor Village Drive.
The plan also calls for the iconic Tee Jayes Country Place sign to remain, converting it into a Chick-fil-a sign but saving the arrow and owl.
Tony Celebrezze, assistant director of the Columbus Department of Building Services, said Chick-fil-a has yet to file some required documents with the city, so the rezoning request has not been scheduled with the Columbus Development Commission, its first stop. Final approval would come from Columbus City Council.
The site’s ownership is in the name of Shriners Hospitals for Children.
The Clintonville Area Commission on Aug. 5 recommended approval of the project.
Paul Carringer, a member of the Clintonville Area Business Association and former member of the Clintonville Area Commission, said he’s pleased to see plans to preserve the Tee Jaye’s sign.
However, he said, the Chick-fil-a is a more intense use than Tee Jaye’s, and he’s concerned about traffic flow from North High Street.
“No matter how they build the traffic pattern, it’s going to be a challenge,” Carringer said.
Tee Jaye’s, part of a locally based chain owned by the Sokol family, was at the High-and-morse spot for nearly 29 years before closing April 30. The family declined to sign a new lease.
Officials from the company announced they would move to the former Bareburger site at 4560 N. High St., and have already changed the sign on the building.
Randy Sokol said the transition is going well but because the supplychain has been so interrupted by the COVID-19 coronavirus, the new store likely won’t open until October. gseman@thisweeknews.com @Thisweekgary