Proposed Adams Township Wendy’s in limbo due to litigation
ADAMS TWP — A proposed Wendy’s location on Route 228 in Adams Township is currently in limbo due to ongoing litigation between the township and management of the Shoppes at Adams Ridge shopping district, where the restaurant would be located.
Attorney Lawrence Maiello, who represents property owner Bill Chen, made public his frustration with the situation during Adams Township’s board of supervisors meeting on Monday night, Jan. 22.
According to Maiello, he and Chen have been in negotiations with Primary Aim, LLC, a franchisee with 76 locations in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, including two in Butler County. The new Wendy’s would go at the site of a former Dairy Queen.
“We've been working on this lease since early November. We are at the point we're ready to sign,” Maiello said. “It was said that because of issues with the site, the building permit would not be issued in connection with the project. That raised considerable concern with me.”
At their meeting in April 2023, the township made public they had pursued litigation against Chen Family Limited Partnership, the owner of the Shoppes at Adams Ridge complex. The suit charged the owners of multiple violations of the township’s ordinance.
This came after the township received numerous complaints from residents of the nearby Adams Ridge residential development, as well as those who own businesses in the shopping plaza. They accused Chen of neglecting to keep the property well maintained.
“It’s a zoning enforcement matter by the township against Mr. Chen for not keeping The Shoppes at Adams Ridge in good order,” said Mike Gallagher, serving as solicitor for Adams Township. “Failure to abide by the requirements of the zoning code.”
Maiello defended his client, saying Chen had taken steps to address the complaints about the shopping complex.
“Mr. Chen has fixed the fence. He has hired the landscaping company JML to perform landscaping services,” Maiello said. “He's paved the parking lot. I drove through the center today. It seems like he's on the right track.”
He added that responsibility for keeping the Wendy’s site maintained would be the responsibility of the tenant, not Chen, under the terms of the lease.
“This permit is necessary for us to get in and ready that site,” Maiello said. “We're very hopeful that this situation will be resolved quickly.”
Regardless, supervisors chairman Russell Ford reiterated the township’s position on the matter.
“We want to be a good neighbor. We want to be a good township to our neighbors,” Ford said. “But we have 16,000 people to protect, and one person doesn’t trump 16,000.”
Discussion of the proposed Wendy’s was not on the agenda at Monday night’s meeting, but Maiello took the opportunity to mention it during the public comment period.
