BLACKSBURG -- There was no "happy hour" Tuesday for the town's Sonic restaurant fans eager to stave off the current heat wave with half-priced fountain drinks and 99-cent milkshakes.

The Blacksburg Town Council voted down a proposal to build a Sonic drive-in restaurant in the controversial First & Main development along South Main Street, despite support for it from the town's planning commission.

The 4-3 council decision was a victory for local advocacy group Blacksburg United for Responsible Growth and other neighborhood advocates who opposed the construction of the popular fast-food outlet along the town's southern commercial gateway.

Representatives of First & Main developer Fairmount Properties of Ohio who attended the meeting declined to comment.

Although he praised Sonic officials for working to mitigate noise, traffic and other concerns, Daniel Breslau of BURG said the council made the right decision based on the town's comprehensive plan.

"People can reasonably disagree, but I think there's a very strong case that it doesn't meet the standards," Breslau said. "The comp plan clearly says that area should be bike and pedestrian friendly."

So much traffic congregated on a less than one-acre site is the most unfriendly use for bicyclists and pedestrians that can be imagined, he said.

"It's important that those commercial parcels be redeveloped," Breslau said of Fairmount's project. Tuesday's council vote will hopefully "encourage them to do something more creative in that space," he added.

Many of those who spoke against the construction of the Sonic have opposed other parts of the 40-acre retail hub, including a proposed big-box retail store widely thought to be a Wal-Mart Supercenter. That phase of the project is currently tied up in court. Still, a large chunk of the project including local, regional and national retail shops and restaurants is under construction.

To build a Sonic under the town's zoning rules, the company had to apply for two council-approved special-use permits. One permit would have allowed the construction of the restaurant with its drive-through window; the other would have allowed the Sonic to install external speakers.

Planning commissioners voted 7-1 to recommend that the council approve the permits with some limits on the noise levels and the store's operating hours, among other conditions.

A majority of council members disagreed with the planning commission, however, citing concerns about pedestrian access and safety around the site, traffic flow and congestion, and even worries about the level of pollution from car exhaust that might result from the drive-in's customers.

Mayor Ron Rordam and council members Paul Lancaster and Al Leighton voted to approve the permits. Rordam said he struggled with the decision, but expressed concern about the fairness of voting down the Sonic, given that the council has recently approved similar permits.

Lancaster, who was voted out of office in May and will leave the council next month, argued that the comprehensive plan -- which he helped write -- designates the Sonic site as "a high impact commercial area."

Lancaster asked: If a restaurant can't be built along Business U.S. 460, where can it be built?