Drive-thru lines grow during the evening rush on Tuesday amid a push to prevent new drive-thru from opening in St. Paul. The Planning Commission is considering restrictions.

“Drive-thrus are super convenient for drivers,” said Zak Yudhishthu with Sustain St. Paul. “I would implore people in St. Paul to think about how convenience for drivers can, at times, come at the cost of other kinds of convenience.”

The organization wrote in a letter to the Planning Commission that drive-thrus can obstruct traffic, encourage vehicle idling and be a nuisance in terms of appearance. Sustain St. Paul works to support policies that reduce carbon emissions and make the city more friendly to pedestrians.

“We want to do some serious consideration of potentially stopping new drive-thrus in St. Paul,” said Yudhishthu.

The Planning Commission heard public comment about possible restrictions earlier this month. A March study by the city suggested eliminating them in the B4 Central Business District, limiting them to just banks or pharmacies in the T2 Traditional Neighborhood District, as well as changes to how pedestrian and drive-up access is designed.

“We definitely think it would be a meaningful step forward to have restrictions in terms of keeping drive-thrus out of the more residential neighborhood zone areas and limiting how they interact with the streetscape,” said Yudhishthu.

The Planning Commission is expected to make a decision in July or August. The full City Council will make a final decision after another public hearing.

“It could be a complete ban on new drive-thrus or it could be something more nuanced than that,” said Bill Dermody, city planner.

He explained the city code is decades old.

“The city’s policies are encouraging more pedestrian-friendly and transit-oriented developments moving forward in St. Paul,” he said in reference to the timing of this consideration. “Also, we’ve had a couple of drive-thrus that caused a lot of problems and that caused more urgency.”

The city has heard feedback from banks that drive-thrus can make customers feel more secure, according to Dermody. He also said disability advocates have emphasized the importance of drive-thru pharmacy access.

“Certainly St. Paul needs an update the question is how much of an update is needed right now,” said Dermody.

There are more than 70 drive-thrus in St. Paul currently, according to Dermody. He said existing businesses would be able to continue to operate regardless of the extent of any restrictions passed.

St. Paul would follow Minneapolis if it decides to limit them. The City of Lakes banned new drive-thrus in 2019. 

“We feel this amendment takes away opportunity away from the owner-operator and choice from the customer,” said Angie Whitcomb, CEO of Hospitality Minnesota. “If we force the elimination of drive-thrus, it’s going to reduce hours of service.”

She is calling on the city to reconsider any restrictions.

“For businesses with a drive-thru, 80 percent of their sales are generated through that drive-thru so taking that away is just driving business away, these businesses will go elsewhere,” she said.

President & CEO of the St. Paul Area Chamber B Kyle said in a statement:

“I’m very concerned about the proposed ordinance. Drive thrus are an increasingly important component of the restaurant ecosystem. They allow restaurants the flexibility to continue to serve customers while dealing with both workforce shortages and public safety issues. And if you read anything about consumer use, you’ll find that the vast majority of adults frequent drive thrus on a very regular basis. Think about the convenience for those with mobility issues or small children in car seats.

Now, certainly, some locations are not a good fit for a drive thru operation due to infrastructure design or maybe traffic patterns. But we don’t need a sweeping policy change to analyze specific projects. The more we legislate to the least common denominator, the more we invite in “unintended consequences” that actually drive future business opportunity away. From my season at the Port Authority I experienced several companies that walked away from Saint Paul because they simply couldn’t find locations for drive thru service. Each of these companies wanted to bring jobs, tax base, and expanded services to Saint Paul. They went elsewhere. I fear this broad prohibition would put a black mark upon Saint Paul for the restaurant industry the same way rent control has done for housing developers.”