Update: Panda Express Seeks Approval for Expanded Parking at Planned South Salina Location

A new Panda Express restaurant is being proposed for south Salina, according to City of Salina planning documents.

The proposed restaurant would be located at 2755 S. 9th Street, on the east side of Market Place between the Market Place Apartments and Sam’s Club. The site is part of the Replat of Nine South Addition, a commercial development area along the South 9th Street corridor. City documents identify the property as a 1.10-acre tract owned by Nine South Development, LLC.

The proposal calls for the construction of a 2,827-square-foot fast-casual Panda Express restaurant with a drive-thru. Planning documents state the restaurant would have an indoor occupancy load of 75 people.

A key issue in the city review process is parking.

Under Salina’s code, the restaurant would be required to have at least 25 off-street parking spaces. City rules normally limit the maximum number of spaces for this type of use to 31, but the applicant requested approval for 56 total parking spaces, which is 25 more than the city’s standard maximum.

The request was filed by Henry Klover of H.C. Klover Architect on behalf of Panda Express/Nine South Development, LLC. The application was scheduled for review by the Salina Board of Zoning Appeals.

According to a parking memorandum submitted with the application, the proposed restaurant would include dine-in and drive-thru service, two drive-thru lanes, 58 dine-in seats and 56 parking stalls. The memo says access to the site would come from two driveways off a private drive that connects to Market Place.

The applicant argued that Panda Express locations in the region typically see a 30% drive-thru and 70% dine-in traffic split. The planning document also states Panda Express expects the Salina location to perform 10% to 15% above the company’s national average, with peak demand including 35 to 45 parked guests, 10 to 13 employees and short-term online order pickup spaces.

Stormwater was also addressed in the city review. The site is located in Critical Drainage Area No. 1, and runoff from the Panda Express lot would be directed to a shared detention pond serving the Nine South Addition. City documents state the pond was designed to handle a 100-year storm event, with discharge pumped into the Ninth Street ditch.

City staff noted that before any building permit is issued, the applicant must receive Planning Commission approval of a site development plan for the lot. Staff also recommended that drainage calculations be submitted to verify the added impervious surface from the parking lot can be handled by the existing stormwater detention system.

City documents reviewed by Salina311 do not list a construction start date or opening date for the proposed restaurant.