Combo Pizza Hut/KFC Slated For Umatilla

    Plans to replace Umatilla's current Pizza Hut with a combination Pizza Hut/KFC are moving forward.    The City of Umatilla on Tuesday released preliminary drawings that indicate a new combination building will be placed on Pizza Hut's current location, with Pizza Hut being carry out only in a section closest to SR 19 and KFC having a drive-through at the rear.
    The project is set to have its first appearance in front of the Umatilla City Council on May 17, when a request will be brought forward to allow for the drive-through.
    "The drive-through will be for KFC only and requires a Special Exception from the city council," said Aaron Mercer, Public Works Director for the city. Mercer added that current drawings for the new building are preliminary.
    "The architectural drawings will actually change slightly due to the roofline not meeting the city's commercial architectural code," Mercer said. "Everything else is fine."
    When undertaken formally, the project will see the replacement of one of Umatilla’s first chain-style restaurant buildings. The current Pizza Hut was constructed in the late 1980’s, as part of a mini-boom that included the construction of what is now the Save-A-Lot Plaza as well as a former Hardee’s restaurant that is now home to the Umatilla Drug Store.