The Green Park Planning and Zoning Commission voted 7-1 last week in favor of relocating the Lion’s Choice restaurant to the Fantasy Coachworks location at 6034 S. Lindbergh Blvd.

The project calls for moving Lion’s Choice to Fantasy Coachworks and realigning Yuma and Flori drives at their intersections with Lindbergh Boulevard.

The area where Lion’s Choice currently sits — 6112 S. Lindbergh Blvd. — would be filled with Golden Corral and 54th Street Grill & Bar.

The Board of Aldermen will conduct a public hearing on the project at its April 21 meeting.

Jim Tobias of Lion’s Choice shared details of the three-phase development March 7 with the commission, according to city officials.

The first phase, which was approved last week by the commission with Ward 2 Alderman Tim Thuston voting “no,” calls for the construction of the new Lion’s Choice to the north of a new, signalized “T” intersection at Flori Drive and Lindbergh Boulevard. That intersection would replace Fantasy Coachworks.

The second and third phases, which will be considered by the commission in the future, would allow construction of Gold-en Corral and 54th Street Grill & Bar immediately upon the opening of the new Lion’s Choice and demolition of the current Lion’s Choice restaurant building.

Resident and Ward 2 aldermanic candidate Mike Povich, who lives in the nearby Ronnie Hills subdivision, told the commission last week that the area already has problems with “cut-through” traffic in the subdivision. Povich believes that the new development would only increase that traffic driving through the nearby residential areas.

While the commission favored the idea of new restaurants and a “safer intersection” at Flori and Lindbergh, members did question Crawford, Bunte, Brammeier traffic consultant Lee Cannon on the frequency and possibility of the additional “cut-through” traffic that Povich mentioned and ways to reduce that traffic.

As alternatives, the commission considered reconfiguration of the site’s entrances and exits onto Flori Drive to force traffic toward Lindbergh and discourage turns toward the Ronnie Hills subdivision.

Lion’s Choice offered to cooperate with city officials to find a solution acceptable to neighboring residents.

Commission members discussed different configurations of the new intersection’s connection with Flori Drive and also the connection of Yuma Drive with Yuma Place as shown on the city’s comprehensive plan that would be designed to alleviate some of Ronnie Hills’ traffic.

A connection with Yuma Place would occur as part of the fourth phase of the project. Dianne Graham of Realty Exchange told the commission that two developers are interested in also constructing a residential component in that fourth phase.

The commission also discussed relocation of the existing billboard to the south in the second phase, stormwater detention, landscaping, buffering of the site’s rear property and the timing of the phases.

Discussion of the QuikTrip Corp.’s request to construct a new gas station and fast-food restaurant at 6312 S. Lindbergh Blvd., the site of the former Cingular Wireless store, was postponed.