Beth Collins, a land use attorney from Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP, explains to the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission that changing the proposed Chick-fil-A restaurant to a sit-down location would have a larger impact to air quality since vehicles would be starting and stopping.
Beth Collins, a land use attorney from Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP, explains to the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission that changing the proposed Chick-fil-A restaurant to a sit-down location would have a larger impact to air quality since vehicles would be starting and stopping. Credit: Daniel Green / Noozhawk photo

The Chick-fil-A planned for Calle Real in the Goleta Valley will move forward after the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission approved the project in a unanimous vote Wednesday.

Planning commissioners approved the project 5-0 after company representatives showed that idling cars in the drive-through would not cause significant air pollution.

The commission originally discussed the Chick-fil-A application in March, but some of the commissioners expressed concern over how extra vehicles could impact the area.

The restaurant is being proposed for the site of the former IHOP at 4765 Calle Real, which closed in 2022. Chick-fil-A plans to demolish the current building to construct a new structure and parking lot.

Representing Chick-fil-A was Beth Collins, a land-use attorney at Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP.

Collins explained that the new drive-through would have no greater impact on air quality than if the restaurant were a dine-in building. She also explained that the restaurant’s iPad ordering system at the drive-through and online ordering system would help keep the line moving.

The company is planning to build two drive-through lanes that would hold up to 31 vehicles at one time. Chick-fil-A anticipates a maximum of 19 cars in the drive-through for 85% of the restaurant’s business hours.  

Collins said that a sit-down restaurant would have higher emissions because customers would be turning their vehicles on and off during their visit. She added that a study for the nearby Starbucks also shows lower emission rates because of the drive-through.  

“So, the drive-through is actually (a) much more efficient, safe, optimized way to circulate in this site, and it really improves the site,” Collins said.

Collins added that since the March hearing, the restaurant has received more than 722 survey responses supportive of the project along Calle Real. Of that number, 77% of the surveys came from Isla Vista and Goleta.

Tom Patton, a partner for the project, says approving the Chick-fil-A restaurant would help improve the area.
Tom Patton, a partner for the project, says approving the Chick-fil-A restaurant would help improve the area. Credit: Daniel Green / Noozhawk photo

The plans for the restaurant would include patio dining with 66 seats, 52 parking spaces and 10 bike spots. The restaurant would employ 65 to 75 people and have between seven and 16 employees working per shift.

Other changes to the area include moving a bike lane along the road away from the curb for better visibility and adding a right-hand lane leading to a nearby Starbucks to free up the main lane.

The changes to the street are designed to clear up parking along Calle Real that has been created from the nearby In-N-Out Burger and the Starbucks.

Neighbors near the location have previously opposed the Chick-fil-A over concerns that another restaurant would make the traffic issues worse, but they did not attend the Wednesday meeting.

The commissioners were largely supportive of the project and the company’s responsiveness.

Design plans for the Chick-fil-A on Calle Real call for the restaurant to include patio dining with 66 seats, 52 parking spaces and 10 bike spots.
Design plans for the Chick-fil-A on Calle Real call for the restaurant to include patio dining with 66 seats, 52 parking spaces and 10 bike spots. Credit: Courtesy rendering

Commissioner Kate Ford, who represents District 2, said she was convinced that the drive-through would not adversely affect the community.

“It’s really clear to me that there is great dedication to making this work, and I appreciate that,” Ford said.

She ended her comments by joking that the builders leave a small area open for drones, which she said is probably the next way people will order food.

The commission’s newest member, Steven Amerikaner, said he had reviewed the past discussions and agreed that the project met all of the standards for approval.

“I concur with my colleagues here who believe that those have been demonstrated,” Amerikaner said. “I think very clearly that this project meets all of those standards, and so I am happy to support this application.”

Public Comment

During public comment, most speakers expressed support for the new restaurant, saying it would benefit the Calle Real corridor.

Roy Millender, a former professor at Westmont College, told the commission that he eats at the restaurant with his wife at least once a week and uses it as an office to meet clients.

Millender added that building a second location would take away some of the pressure from the Chick-fil-A on State Street in Santa Barbara, which has had notorious traffic issues related to its drive-through.

Resident Roy Millender speaks in support of the Chick-fil-A during public comment before the county Planning Commission. He says building the new location would help alleviate pressure from the State Street location in Santa Barbara.
Resident Roy Millender speaks in support of the Chick-fil-A during public comment before the county Planning Commission. He says building the new location would help alleviate pressure from the State Street location in Santa Barbara. Credit: Daniel Green / Noozhawk photo

“I can’t imagine anything that would be better for Santa Barbara than getting this thing approved to be able to spread out the traffic from Goleta to Santa Barbara,” Millender said.

Tom Patton, general manager at the Ramada by Wyndham and a partner for the project, said the Chick-fil-A would help dress up the community. He called the current site a “sea of asphalt.”

“We need a restaurant that feeds our friends and neighbors and community members here,” Patton said. “The site will be vastly better than it is now.”

Other speakers asked the commission to vote against the project, expressing concern about the number of fast-food restaurants in the area and traffic.

Suzann Sturz, who said she lives within walking distance, asked the commission to deny the project and said it did not meet the requirements for approval.

Sturz said approving the project would add another restaurant near public agencies, schools and the freeway interchange.

“I’d also ask whether the sheriff’s department has been formally consulted, given that their headquarters rely on the same interchange,” Sturz told the commissioners. “Any additional congestion at this location could affect emergency response times and public safety operations, which should be carefully evaluated.”

— Noozhawk staff writer Daniel Green can be reached at dgreen@noozhawk.com.