Another Chipotle coming soon to Mercer County, NJ

Chipotle is coming to Hamilton Township after all, according to TAPinto Hamilton/Robbinsville.

After the Hamilton Township Zoning Board shot it down previously, plans have been approved to build a new Chipotle Mexican Grill at the corner of Route 33 and Whitehorse-Mercerville Road. It will be across from the Applebee's Grill and Bar where the old Lukoil gas station was. The lot sits vacant right now.

The new Chipotle will be 2,325 square feet and have dine-in seating, a drive-thru, and a pick-up area.

Some board members and local residents were concerned that the lot size wasn't big enough for the new restaurant and would cause traffic and parking issues. It will sit in front of a residential neighborhood.

Former Councilwoman Ileana Schirmer voted against the Chipotle in the most recent vote saying, "My feelings and position about this project haven't changed. I think it's too big of a project for that small area. My concern is the effect it will have on the residents of the area."

The developers, Mercer Equities, made changes to the plans leading up to this recent "vote to reconsider" to address some of the concerns. They lessened the dining room seating from 54 to 39. They reconfigured the building and added another door, according to the article.

Hard to believe this will be the first Chipotle in Hamilton Township. There are only a few in Mercer County actually. There's one in Mercer Mall (Lawrence Township), another in West Windsor Township, near Trader Joe's, and the newest location on Route 130 in East Windsor Township, in the Shop Rite shopping center (a stand-alone restaurant near the road).