The Buellton Planning Commission on Thursday held an early public review of a proposed In-N-Out Burger, with commissioners making it clear that design fit and traffic would be key issues to determine whether the project moves forward.
The proposed 3,890-square-foot fast-food restaurant would be located on a vacant lot between Highway 101 and McMurray Road, across from Firestone Walker Brewing Co. City staff said the conceptual review allows commissioners to offer initial feedback before a formal application is submitted.
Staff also said the plans have not yet been reviewed for full compliance with the municipal code, General Plan or community design guidelines.
Concepts shown Thursday included 84 indoor seats, 24 outdoor seats on a 700-square-foot patio, 76 parking spaces and a drive-through queue designed to hold up to 35 vehicles.
Much of the commission’s early feedback centered on whether In-N-Out’s standard look should be adapted to fit Buellton’s “Contemporary Ranch” design guidelines, while commissioners also raised concerns about traffic flow and drive-through capacity.
Commissioner Daniel Contreras said preserving Buellton’s charm was important to him, noting that his focus “is more of the design side than it is the traffic study.”
He pointed to In-N-Out restaurants in Thousand Oaks and Westlake Village as examples where the city’s design standards were upheld versus the chain’s white tone.
“We’re not Santa Maria. We’re not Santa Barbara. We’re our own little jewel in the valley,” Contreras said. “As much as we want your business, as much as we want that livelihood, we also want to keep some character within our charm here.”
Commissioner Brian Campbell agreed that design is his biggest concern, saying he was “taken back” by the initial drawings because they don’t fit in with the current neighborhood. He suggested that the building should emulate the “agrarian contemporary ranch” style seen in neighboring structures such as the Firestone Walker Brewery and the Hampton Inn.
Adam Firestone of Firestone Walker Brewing was the sole public commenter and said that while In-N-Out is a successful brand, commissioners should push back against its standardized approach. He said the chain’s preferred 6,000-Kelvin lighting would be too harsh for the area.
“That’s that super daylight bright stuff that you can see all the way from Orcutt,” Firestone said. “That’s not compatible with what we have here.”
Buellton recently adopted an outdoor lighting ordinance that limits most general lighting to 3,000 Kelvin, with a lower 2,700-Kelvin limit in sensitive natural areas.
Planning Director Andrea Keefer said the project would be required to comply with the new ordinance.
According to the conceptual site plan, most of the two-parcel site would be devoted to parking and drive-through circulation, with the restaurant building placed along the southeast edge of the property. The 35-car drive-through queue would run adjacent to the parking lot, but vehicles would pass through the parking area to reach it.
Campbell questioned whether the layout of the drive-through entrance would leave enough room for proper circulation if additional cars began lining up there.
Staff said traffic-related questions would be addressed through a required local transportation study, which would use data from comparable In-N-Out locations to examine queue capacity, turning movements, and whether cars could spill back into the parking lot or onto nearby roads.
Planning Commission chair Shannon Reese said the city should look at screening the drive-through from Highway 101 with additional landscaping. She said the line of cars visible at the Turnpike Road In-N-Out near Santa Barbara can be “unappealing” and suggested that the Buellton site could offer an opportunity to hide the queue from view.
No formal action was taken Thursday. The project will return before the commission if the applicant submits a formal application for full review.
