The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission has decided to push back a vote on a proposed Chick-fil-A along Calle Real, asking for more evidence on potential impacts to air quality.
The Planning Commission voted for a continuance in a 3-2 vote on Wednesday, with Commissioners Roy Reed and Vincent Martinez voting against the plan.
The proposal is for a new Chick-fil-A at 4765 Calle Real, the former site of an IHOP that closed in 2022. The company is looking to demolish the former IHOP building and the parking lot to build a new structure and lot.
The new restaurant location also would feature patio dining with 66 seats, 52 parking spaces for vehicles and 10 spots for bikes. The restaurant would employ 65 to 75 people and have between seven and 16 employees working during a shift.
Third District Commissioner John Parke said he liked the proposal and believed it was a good use of the land, but expressed concern about the amount of pollution from vehicles waiting in the drive-through.
The restaurant also would add two lanes for its drive-through, which could hold up to 32 vehicles at one time.
Willow Brown, a planner for the county, said in her presentation that the project would not cause a significant impact on air quality. Brown added that vehicles idling in the drive-through would emit fewer emissions than those that park and restart.
Even though an air quality report stated that the impact from the Chick-fil-A would be “less than significant,” Parke was skeptical that parked vehicles would have a greater impact than vehicles in the drive-through.
“I still don’t think you’ve met the standard of evidence I have to convince me that this will have no greater impact being a drive-through facility upon air quality than the same use without the drive-through facility,” Parke said.
Parke asked staff to return with some evidence showing that the proposed Chick-fil-A with a drive-through would not cause more emissions than a design without the drive-through.
“I would move to continue this matter for the time that they could do that,” Parke said, “because I think eventually I’m going to vote for this project. I’m not going to vote for it today.”
Fourth District Commissioner Roy Reed said he was impressed by the traffic changes to help lessen congestion at the entrance to the Chick-Fil-A.
Reed also acknowledged proposed street changes to improve traffic flow at the Starbucks next to the site of the project.
The changes would include repainting the street to move the bike lane away from the curb for better visibility and adding a right-hand lane that leads directly into the Starbucks to free up the main lane.
Reed added that he believed, based on the company’s actions at its location on Upper State Street, that the operators would address any future traffic issues. He added that he was ready to approve the project.
“I think if we seek continuance again and again based on something we find, we will find that no project is perfect, and we will be continuing them ad infinitum,” Reed said.
Public Comment
Some residents who live near the location opposed the plan, saying a new drive-through would make traffic in the area worse. The stretch of Calle Real near the proposed Chick-fil-A also features an In-N-Out Burger and a Starbucks.
Lisa Kenyon, who lives near the site, told the commission that the issue is not about one new restaurant.
“It’s not just about the old IHOP property,” Kenyon said. “The neighborhood has been dealing with vehicle queuing at not one, not two, but the three drive-throughs for years.”
Kristen Miller, president and CEO of the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce, expressed support for the project. Miller said the new restaurant would revitalize a vacant lot and bring jobs to the area.
Miller added that the plan also has the potential to help the economy and generate tax revenue.
“A successful business like Chick-fil-A on this currently underutilized site will support the surrounding district and contribute to a stronger overall business environment,” she said.