To: Santa Barbara County Planning Commission:
Citizens Planning Association is a county-wide organization which has been following land use projects since it was established in 1960. CPA has read through the staff report for this project and we have several concerns. We have weighed in on several drive-thru projects both in SB City and in the County and we feel this project requires updated environmental review and additional conditions of approval to address some serious traffic and circulations concerns.
This drive thru will be located near a highly congested intersection which already has traffic back ups due to the three drive thru’s already located in proximity to the pending project. In and Out Burger has gone through several re-designs since it was approved due to customer drive-thru lines which blocked through traffic. Hopefully, decision-makers for this current project will get it right the first time and not create another traffic logjam.
Chik-Fil-A is a very popular restaurant and you should require an updated traffic/circulation study that reflects the heavy traffic such an outlet brings to the location. Chik-Fil-A in Santa Barbara City was approved and built with a totally unrealistic traffic projection. City officials had to force Chik-Fil-A ownership to reconfigure their drive thru to get the traffic out of the traffic lanes on upper State St. after months of accidents and community outcry as cars could not even get through a bottle neck situation. They had the room to add an additional drive-thru lane and hire more personnel to closely monitor back ups. Conditions of Approval need to address this possibility at the Calle Real site.
Residents and drivers using the Calle Real/Turnpike roads have noticed semi trucks parked along the 101 on-ramp. The drivers line up their trucks along the fencing that borders the In-and Out parking lot. Adding Chik-Fil-A to this area might bring in more large trucks that have nowhere to park legally. Hopefully there will be a condition of approval that will solve this existing problem. Caltrans should be involved in this process to prohibit semi-trucks from parking along the on-ramp.
Chik-Fil-A was denied permission to build in Buellton as their decision-makers could foresee the traffic nightmare the location would create. They have now found a location where there will be less congestion. Hopefully, you will take a very close look at the cumulative negative impacts this project will create as presently designed and that you will reject the findings listed in the staff report in regards to traffic and circulation.
Thank you for considering our suggestions.
Marell Brooks
President
Citizens Planning Association