Plans for a chicken restaurant with a drive-thru and a smoothie cafe at the former site of an Advance Auto Parts store are one step closer to reality this week after unanimous action taken by DeKalb city leaders.

The DeKalb City Council on Tuesday voted in support of a request for a special use permit submitted by petitioner John Pappas to make it happen.

Mayor Cohen Barnes welcomed Pappas’ developments in the city.

“As always, Mr. Pappas,” Barnes said. “Thanks for continuing investment in our community.”

The former Advanced Auto Parts store, located at 2151 Sycamore Road, closed in early 2025 and has since seen improvements, subdividing the building into three separate tenant spaces of 2,017 square feet of space, city documents show.

At the south end of the building is an unidentified chicken restaurant with a drive-thru planned. There will also be a small patio for patrons.

Under the approved plan, the drive-thru would accommodate five to six cars at a given time, with stacking.

There will be space for parking. The lot currently accommodates 16 vehicles, but with the addition of the drive-thru, it would serve 12, city documents show.

The middle tenant space is vacant at this time.

At the north end of the building, project leaders have Tropical Smoothie Cafe lined up as a tenant.

According to the company’s website, it is not only known for smoothies, but also for its flatbreads, wraps, quesadillas, tropical bowls, and more.