Multiple ordinances related to the construction of a new Dairy Queen in northwest Ocala will be read into city record during the council’s next meeting on Tuesday.
Requests to annex, rezone, and change the future land use of the 1.29-acre parcel located at 4001 NW Blitchton Road will be introduced during the Ocala City Council meeting on Tuesday, December 3.
The requests were unanimously approved by the Ocala Planning and Zoning Commission in November.
The parcel is is situated around a quarter of a mile away from the Interstate 75 interchange with U.S. Hwy 27/441.
Owned by CLD Properties LTD, which is registered to Bradford Dinkins of Dinkins Construction, the property is represented by Tracy Rains of Dinkins Realty, LLC, and the project planner is Kristina L. Wright.
A site sketch filed earlier this year shows plans to construct a 2,208-square-foot, “Dairy Queen Grill and Chill” restaurant.
Currently, the 1.29-acre property is zoned for county community business (B-2). The developer is trying to have the property rezoned to city community business (B-2), according to the city staff report.
According to a city staff report, the property in northwest Ocala was previously developed as a saloon until it was destroyed by a fire and demolished in 1995. Since then, the parcel has sat vacant and has been used as overflow tractor-trailer truck parking for nearby businesses.
Unlike traditional Dairy Queen locations, the DQ Grill & Chill concept offers an open-air design, separate “grill and chill” kitchens, booths, large gathering tables, and outdoor patios, according to the DQ franchising website. Since premiering in 2002, there are now over 2,000 DQ Grill & Chill locations across the country.
The new Dairy Queen may be replacing another location in Ocala that has been closed for several weeks. That restaurant, which is situated at 4430 W Hwy 326, is listed as “temporarily closed” and has been shuttered since at least early November.
Ocala-News.com could not confirm whether or not the location is permanently closed, or if its closure is related, as a call to the establishment led to a disconnected voicemail. The restaurant has also been “closed” to UberEats deliveries since the Summer.
In addition to the northwest location, there is one other Dairy Queen restaurant in Ocala along East Silver Springs Boulevard.
After the three requests are introduced to the Ocala City Council during its regular meeting this week, the measures will be up for a final vote on December 17.
The Ocala City Council regularly meets on the first and third Tuesday of every month at 4 p.m. at Ocala City Hall, which is located at 110 SE Watula Avenue.
