Jefferson City's Eastland Drive Pizza Hut could become a Taco Bell.
The Planning and Zoning Commission voted 7-1 Thursday to send the proposal to the City Council, with another public hearing scheduled for Nov. 21.
Commissioners unanimously approved three other proposals on Thursday's agenda.
The Pizza Hut proposal would demolish the current restaurant and replace it with a new, slightly smaller one - and a different brand.
The property currently is zoned "Planned Unit Development," so the commission's and City Council's approval are needed before any changes can be made.
Several neighbors oppose the change.
Joe Halbrook and his wife, Mary, live on Fox Trail, a cul-de-sac subdivision about 150 feet south of the Pizza Hut.
They oppose the proposal "because of the deviation from the type of land use that's currently in place," he said, "the excessively late hours of operation, which greatly exceeds the norm of any business that's in that general area aside from the McDonald's Restaurant, which is nearly a full city block from where we live."
The Taco Bell would operate from 7 a.m.-2 a.m. Sunday-Thursday, and until 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday - substantially longer hours than Pizza Hut.
But Senior Planner Eric Barron reminded commissioners their authority doesn't include a business' hours.
"There are no restrictions in terms of hours of operation for the existing restaurant for this site," he said.
Stephan Dalessandro lives next door to the Halbrooks and disagreed with the idea the Pizza Hut and Taco Bell restaurants are comparable.
"They're not on par with each other," he told the commission. "Pizza Hut has very few cars going through. A Taco Bell - particularly on a weekend night - has a queue of cars.
"It's very easy to hear car stereos as it is," he continued, and expects having the business being open until 3 a.m. will make it very difficult to sleep.
Tom Fennessey, who's lived on Fox Trail for almost 20 years, told the commission: "We need to see something go in that fits in and returns the property to a reasonable usage - and generates a profit for the owner.
"I'm not opposed to that, but I do not want to see my property also degrade, and the properties of my neighbors I'm trying to find a compromise here."
Gary Heislen, who lives across Eastland Drive from the Pizza Hut, also is worried about the increased traffic and noise.
"We built our house in 1985," he reported, "and they've re-zoned just about all of it around us since we've built.
"We've been lucky to have the banks, because they make things look nice, and they close early hours. This is a complete turn of events for us."
Barron said the city staff supported the proposal and reminded the commission: "The specific business is not an item that's up for consideration by this body."
Commissioners also approved:
The final subdivision plat for 2821 S. Ten Mile Drive - just west of the Arby's restaurant - where MERS Goodwill plans to demolish two existing buildings and then erect a new Goodwill store.
A preliminary PUD plan for two residential triplexes at 2220 Weathered Rock Road - just east of Lorenzo Greene Drive.
Rezoning part of the land at Providence Bank's 815 W. Stadium Blvd. location, so it can build a new sign. The current sign is more than 20 feet tall, but under the C-1 zoning the land now has, it couldn't replace the sign with anything larger than 10 feet.
The City Council also will hold Nov. 21 public hearings on the triplexes and rezoning proposals.