The public is invited to attend an appeal hearing for the new Chick-fil-A in East Olympia.
The hearing, scheduled for 9 a.m. on June 18, comes after an Olympia resident appealed the City of Olympia Hearings Examiner’s State Environmental Policy Act (SEPA) Determination of Non-Significance on March 16.
The hearing examiner’s ruling, issued Feb. 23, found that the Chick-fil-A East Olympia project “is not likely to have a significant adverse impact upon the environment” and that an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) is not required.
In her appeal, Olympia resident Chrystin McLelland argues that the SEPA review did not adequately address pedestrian impacts from the project.
The project is proposed as a restaurant with a dual lane drive-thru to replace an existing Red Lobster location at 4505 Martin Way East.
That Red Lobster was still open as of Thursday afternoon.
Chick-fil-A first submitted its application for the new Olympia restaurant in June 2025. It is one of nine new locations that the restaurant chain plans to open in Washington state by early 2027.
Chick-fil-A estimates that the nine new restaurants will generate over 900 jobs across Washington state, according to an October 2025 news release. The chain currently has 22 locations in Washington state, including one on Capital Mall Drive Southwest in Olympia and one on Marvin Road in Lacey.
The public is allowed to view the June 18 land use appeal hearing via Zoom at https://tinyurl.com/ybwkbstf, but the hearing itself is closed, meaning that there will be no opportunity for public comment.
The City of Olympia asks that anyone who requires special accommodations to attend this meeting to Community Planning and Economic Development before 10 a.m. on June 16 at 360-753-8314 or cpdinfo@ci.olympia.wa.us.
Individuals with hearing impairment can contact city staff by dialing the Washington State
Relay Service at 711 or 1-800-833-6384.
Members of the public can receive a copy of the appeal decision upon request.
Project documents can be found online in the Olympia Permit Portal at olympiawa.gov/permitportal under project number 25-3357.
The City of Olympia encourages community members to visit olympiawa.gov/landuse to view an informational video on how land use projects like the Chick-fil-A East Olympia project work and how to get involved.
