Through the Roof

Architectural issues have caused Bob Evans Farms Inc. (Columbus, Ohio) to pull its proposed restaurant out of a strip mall in Deerfield Twp., Ohio.

The restaurant pulled out of the development, and its representative stormed out of a township trustees’ meeting, after a board member refused to compromise on a restriction to the restaurant’s roof and exterior design.

The architects planned the front section of the roof, which displays the restaurant’s logo, to be taller than the rest of the building, giving the restaurant its characteristic barn-like look. The board member said the roof would have to be lowered to fit with the character of the strip mall. The restaurant refused. “Bob Evans isn’t willing to build a building that’s going to be ugly,” said Dan Havener, Bob Evans’ director of engineering.

The board member also found flaws in the designs of the three other restaurants seeking approval to build in the nearby Shoppes of Deerfield: Red Robin, the International House of Pancakes and Fox & Hound. All the restaurants had already received approvals from the township zoning commission. The board member said he’s “just trying to preserve aesthetics.” But the township’s trustee president said the board member is harassing architects and driving businesses away. “Our best interest is to look out for the best interest of the township,” the president said. “I don’t think [the board member] understands the effects and long-term detriment his comments will have.”

As a planned use development, the strip mall faces strict building rules. The developer said he is tired of fighting for everything he puts in the shopping complex, which is anchored by a Kroger. “Everything has been an obstacle. I’ve never dealt with a township as difficult as Deerfield,” he said.