Chick-fil-A plans to open up a drive-through restaurant in Kennewick.

The popular Georgia-based fast food chain known for its chicken sandwiches has submitted paperwork under the State Environmental Policy Act, or SEPA, to build a nearly 5,000-square-foot restaurant on about 2 acres at 7009 W. Canal Drive.

“While we are still early in the process, Chick-fil-A is happy to share that we are actively pursuing our first location in Kennewick. We look forward to working with the City of Kennewick and are excited by the prospect of joining this community. We hope to have the opportunity to serve new guests delicious food in an environment of genuine hospitality,” officials from Chick-fil-A, Inc. said in a statement.

They didn’t provide a timeline for the project.

The property, owned by the Portland-based Winprop I, LLC, currently is a parking lot. It sits between Lithia Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram FIAT of Tri-Cities and a Wendy’s restaurant.

It doesn’t appear a building permit for the new restaurant has been issued. The project been in the works since at least last June, when the Mountlake Terrace-based Terracon Consultants Inc. submitted an environmental site assessment on behalf of Chick-fil-A.

The restaurant will have 99 parking stalls and employ about 75 people.

It will be the first Chick-fil-A in the Tri-Cities – and the region. The chain currently has several locations on the west side of the state and one in Spokane.