Traffic concerns are slowing down a fast food chain’s efforts to bring a new drive-through restaurant to Buellton.
On Dec. 15, the Buellton Planning Commission will decide whether to grant the In-N-Out Burger corporation a conditional use permit to commandeer the site of the vacant Parks Plaza Theatre on McMurray Road. The Planning Commission originally aimed to clear the item on Nov. 17, but couldn’t reach a consensus.
During the Nov. 17 meeting, staff presented findings for the Planning Commission to deny In-N-Out’s application, as staff determined that the streets surrounding the site cannot “accommodate the traffic and circulation impacts of the project.”
“It comes down to traffic. … That’s the one thing that’s holding us back,” Planning Commissioner Aaron Liggett said during the meeting, before motioning to deny the application.
But a 2-3 vote prevented Liggett’s motion from passing.
As a possible solution to alleviate traffic concerns, Planning Commission Chair Patty Hammel recommended that the applicant consider a suggestion made during public comment, by Kathy Vreeland, executive director of the Buellton Chamber of Commerce.
Vreeland proposed that In-N-Out work with Caltrans on signage to direct drivers on Highway 101 to exit at Rufus T. Buell Drive, rather than take the Highway 246 exit, where staff anticipates cars to pile up if In-N-Out opens at the McMurray Road site.
“There are ways to mitigate that and help direct traffic to other exits,” Vreeland said in an email to the Sun.
While discussion between the Planning Commission and city staff was mostly about traffic, it wasn’t the sole issue addressed. Some speakers during public comment shared the concern that an In-N-Out would ruin Buellton’s “small town feel,” which Vreeland disagrees with.
“This approach can be harmful for a city. I think growing can be done sensibly while still maintaining a small-town feel,” Vreeland told the Sun.
Vreeland hopes that Buellton’s city staff and In-N-Out will find a middle ground to move the project forward and is worried that a denial will negatively affect Buellton’s reputation with future business developers.
“Businesses tend to migrate together,” Vreeland said. “I think it is definitely possible to attract other businesses when a large, reputable company like In-N-Out comes to town.”
This article appears in Dec 8-15, 2022.
