Chick-fil-A Expansion Approved on 4th Street N in St. Pete

St. Petersburg City Council voted 7-1 on Nov. 5, 2026 to approve land-use and zoning changes for the Chick-fil-A expansion at 4201 4th Street N, overturning the Community Planning and Preservation Commission's 4-3 rejection in August 2026. Vice Chair Richie Floyd cast the lone dissent.

The redevelopment covers roughly 1.56 acres on the east side of 4th Street N between 42nd and 43rd Avenues N, combining commercial and residential parcels. The restaurant grows by just 202 square feet, but parking roughly doubles and drive-thru queue capacity increases substantially. A 0.26-acre southern portion, at 42nd Avenue N, was rezoned from residential to commercial.

Plans call for demolishing the seven-bay Village Shoppes strip, which includes Fourth Street Tackle and Aquatic Galleria, plus a single-story seven-unit apartment building. The project removes the 4th Street driveway and adds sidewalks, landscaping, and a wall along the eastern boundary. Renderings of the drive-thru configuration were shown during the approval process.

The existing restaurant opened in 1999 as Pinellas County's first freestanding Chick-fil-A. Operator David Neely employs more than 130 people with an annual payroll of roughly $2.5 million; the project could add 50 to 75 jobs.