Six properties along Highway 109 in Wildwood's Town Center face a new layer of approval for drive-thru businesses, just four months after the city first allowed drive-thrus in the area.

The city's Planning & Zoning Commission held a public hearing April 6 on a proposal to pre-zone six Workplace District parcels — at the intersections of Main Street and Manchester Road — to Planned Commercial, requiring each drive-thru operator to obtain a conditional use permit before opening. The commission's recommendation was not available at press time.

The proposal would give the city case-by-case control over which businesses set up shop on some of the most visible commercial land in Town Center.

Why the city wants more control

Joe Vujnich, Wildwood's director of planning and parks, told the commission that Town Center "has become more of a residential hub than a mixed-use community it was envisioned to be," and that commercial parcels "have not developed as quickly."

Before the City Council voted in December 2025 to allow drive-thrus on up to 10 properties fronting Highway 109 and Highway 100, the Workplace District banned convenience-type uses like fast-food restaurants with drive-thru lanes. Vujnich said that prohibition "led to a lack of successful development interest." The city has tried to encourage commercial development along those corridors since 2007, according to planning department records.

The six sites now targeted for pre-zoning are a subset of those 10 — all in the Workplace District along Highway 109, which carries the highest traffic volume in Town Center. The remaining four sites, along Highway 100, are not part of this proposal.

"The intent is to create a general framework and, as a development proposal is submitted, ensure that the proposal meets that general framework," Vujnich said at the hearing.

Residential pressure on commercial land

The dynamic Vujnich described is playing out just down the road. In February, the city's Development and Zoning Review Committee reviewed a preliminary design for 42 attached single-family dwellings at 16701 Manchester Road — a Workplace District parcel zoned for the same Planned Commercial category. That proposal illustrates the residential development pressure on parcels the city has earmarked for commercial use.

What residents say they want

A March 2026 survey by Wildwood's Economic Development Committee found that sit-down dining ranked as the top priority for both residents and business owners, followed by quick-serve dining, retail, and entertainment. Quick-serve restaurants — the category most likely to seek drive-thru lanes — ranked as a high priority among business owners.

What's next

If the commission recommends approval, the proposal would advance to the City Council for a final vote. The December 2025 regulations already require drive-thru facilities to screen their lanes from residential areas and secondary streets using garden walls or landscaped berms.

For commercial property owners along Highway 109, the pre-zoning would mean any drive-thru tenant needs to clear an additional approval step before opening on parcels that have sat largely undeveloped for nearly two decades.