Permit sought for second Spokane Chick-fil-A

Developers earlier this month signed a building permit request that would build the second Chick-fil-A restaurant in Spokane just northwest of the Gonzaga University campus.

They want to build a 5,028-square-foot building at 104 E. Mission Ave., at the intersection with Ruby Street. Two homes at that location were scheduled to be demolished to make room for the building that could seat as many as 166 customers.

The $1.9 million project would be the second Chick-fil-A in Spokane. The first opened in 2020 at 9304 N. Newport Highway. Before the north restaurant opened, the nearest location was at the University of Idaho in Moscow.

The new location is directly south of a Jimmy John’s Sandwich shop and a block north of a Starbucks.

The listed owner/applicant for the project was Steve Schwartz, and Jeremiah Cover signed the permit request. Messages were not immediately returned from either Schwartz or Cover seeking comment.

The building permit for East Mission follows an earlier attempt by the Atlanta-based fast food chain to open a restaurant on the South Hill at the southwest corner of 29th Avenue and Regal Street. First proposed in December 2022, that effort stalled over parking problems.

The company’s proposal to build a 4,987-square-foot drive-thru restaurant was in an area the neighborhood had designated for mixed-use development, promoting walking and public transportation. With that designation came limits on the number of parking spots.

Initial plans for the South Hill building called for 113 parking spots on the site. That would have exceeded the allowable number by 93. The city later rejected the proposal.

The building permit for East Mission gave no indication about when the company hopes to start construction or open.

Founded in 1946, Chick fil-A now has more than 3,200 restaurants in 48 states, as well as ones in Canada and Puerto Rico.