Buellton planning commissioners weighed in on a proposal for an In-N-Out Burger to be built at the site of the city’s closed theater, raising concerns related to traffic, building location, driveways and more.
Thursday night’s meeting of the Buellton Planning Commission involved the conceptual review of the plan since a formal application has not yet been submitted, city staff said, adding that the initial input could lead to detailed plans for future review.
The closed Parks Plaza Theatre building at 515 McMurray Road would be demolished to make way for the one-story, drive-through restaurant.
In-N-Out proposed placing the building near the rear of the property so it’s closer to Highway 101. The city’s policies typically suggest buildings be placed closer to the roadway such as McMurray Road.
But Aaron Anderson, In-N-Out development manager, said he hoped the city would allow the restaurant’s building to be placed at the rear of the property.
“There’s some challenges with the site that I would hope staff and the commission would consider as we move forward. There’s some pretty steep grade changes here,” he said.
“Being at the back of the property, we actually maintain decent visibility from McMurray and really good visibility from the 101,” he added.
“I understand how we don’t want it at the very back of the property,” Commission Chair Patty Hammel said. “I don’t really know that I want it at the complete front of the property, so if there’s any way we can look at the maybe in the middle of the property?”
Staff also noted the conceptual plans would block the long-standing access route between the Santa Ynez Marriott, the theater and McDonald’s.
Anderson said the open access route would shrink the In-N-Out property and lead to a smaller drive-through queue — currently envisioned to accommodate 23 vehicles.
Anderson said that having vehicles pass through the drive-through lane is “not ideal for our operation.”
Another suggestion involved a second entrance to the site to avoid traffic jams.
“I’ve seen the Santa Barbara site and the impact it has there. I’d like to see traffic be able to keep moving,” Commissioner Marcilo Sarquilla
Commissioners also discussed ways to avoid impacting the heavily congested intersection of Highway 246 and McMurray Road.
Several residents spoke out about the proposal and loss of the Santa Ynez Valley’s theater, including resident and attorney Justin Greene. He expressed concerns about the “incompatible proposed use,” and mentioned potential traffic, noise and lighting impacts.
“Our community does not need this many fast-food chain restaurants in such a small area,” Greene said.
After staff has reviewed a formal application, if submitted, the item would return to the Planning Commission for a public hearing and possible approval, but that could be many months away.
“Going forward be very very mindful we are a super small community,” Hammel told the team working on the In-N-Out project.
“I just ask that you practice a good neighbor policy with the residents and the commercial properties that you’re neighbors with,” Hammel added.
— Noozhawk North County editor Janene Scully can be reached at jscully@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.