The intersection of Highway 246 and McMurray Road in Buellton grants drivers access to a handful of drive-through restaurants. A new fast food spot was set to join the lineup, before a speedy appeal surfaced one day after the project’s approval.
During its Dec. 14 meeting, the Buellton City Council overturned the Buellton Planning Commission’s Oct. 19 decision to green-light plans for a new In-N-Out development after reviewing Buellton resident Carla Mead’s appeal, filed on Oct. 20.
Some city officials and public speakers at the meeting sided with Mead, who argued that traffic at the 246/McMurray intersection is already severely congested and would only worsen with a new In-N-Out, while others expressed concern that the project’s denial would set a negative precedent for future developments in the area.
“If you deny this, you are sending a message out to the world that this site is a problem,” real estate agent Tom Davidson said during public comment.
Davidson represents Bob Gran Jr., the project site’s co-owner, who also spoke during public comment.
Gran said the vacant site, a shuttered movie theater and parking lot on McMurray Road formerly known as Parks Plaza, will remain idle indefinitely if Mead’s appeal gets approved, and described the back-and-forth discussions between the In-N-Out corporation and the city as a frustrating two-year process.
During deliberations, Mayor David King said he’s a big fan of In-N-Out and would love to have a location in town but sided with the project’s appellant.
“I love In-N-Out. I’m not going to deny that,” King said. “I wish this particular location and this particular spot were viable for a project to go in there, but every way that I have looked at this, this will make an absolute disastrous mess of the traffic on the 246 and McMurray.
“I’ve lived here for 20 years, and over the past five years, that intersection has become increasingly more difficult to traverse,” King added.
Councilmember Elysia Lewis initially expressed reluctance about approving Mead’s appeal but ultimately voted in favor of it.
“I am stuck on the idea that we already have a traffic issue on McMurray. It already exists. We have already created it. I can’t foresee any entity coming in and not facing the same problem,” Lewis said. “To be the city that pushes out good business for a problem that already exists doesn’t make sense to me.”
“We have a reputation as a city of being very difficult for developers to develop in,” Lewis added. “I just don’t want to get in a situation where we are limiting any kind of development and growth. I’m OK with approving the appeal with the understanding that we need to, as a city, find ways to help these things flourish without negatively impacting our citizens.”
In a 3-1 vote, the Buellton City Council approved Mead’s appeal and denied the In-N-Out project. Councilmember John Sanchez, who described the traffic concerns about the project as “alarmist,” dissented, while Councilmember David Silva recused himself from voting due to owning a home within 500 feet of the project site.
This article appears in Dec 21-31, 2023.