The Fraser Planning Commission approved a development permit for a new Wendy’s fast food restaurant at a Feb. 10 meeting.

Aksan United Fortune, Inc., a Wendy’s affiliate, plans to renovate a site in the Fraser Valley Center parking lot that formerly housed a Kentucky Fried Chicken and Taco Bell.

“Running restaurants is my passion, so we’ll do a good job up here,” said David See with Aksan United Fortune. “I know it’s challenging with labor, but we’ll try and be a very good community partner.”

The building’s new tenants hope to start renovating in March and open for business in mid-June, depending on when they can get plans to the town for permit, See said.

“It’s been an eyesore to all of us Fraserites and everyone else at this end of the county,” said Town Planner Catherine Trotter. “We are very much looking forward to something happening over there, and we welcome Wendy’s.”

See said the new tenants plan to do a major cosmetic renovation of the building, giving it a touch of the company’s updated branding.

The commission added a condition to the permit nailing down the specifics of the structure’s appearance.

Among the details are low-relief ledgestone components including an exterior stone wainscot and a large stone “blade” topped with a red band adorned with the Wendy’s logo.

Other exterior features in the design renderings See presented include corrugated metal around the top of the building’s front and glass spandrels.

“We want to blend with the environment up here and try and have a good looking wbuilding for Fraser to be proud of,” See said.

Inside, the backside of the blade would have a fireplace and television.

Commissioners did have some concerns about the current design of the building’s traffic flow.

Commissioner Steve Sumrall questioned whether the location of the building’s menu board would encourage drivers from County Road 72 to cut into the drive lane, causing an inadvertent traffic jam through the parking lot’s CR 72 entrance.

The building’s drive lane also reduces the number of total spaces in the parking lot, and the commission discussed the possibility of putting more parking in the rear of the Fraser Valley Center.

Fraser resident Vesta Shapiro said she was concerned that the location of handicapped parking would force disabled patrons to cross a higher-speed area of the drive lane.

The commission added a condition to their resolution that the applicant should take into account public comment on the revised site plan.

Hank Shell can be reached at 970-557-6010.