The chicken did not cross the road.
The popular fast-food restaurant Chick-fil-A suffered a setback Wednesday at the Santa Barbara County Planning Commission. The five-member panel voted 3-2 against the project proposed for the former IHOP space at 4765 Calle Real.
The commission told Chick-fil-A to come back on May 27 with a revised plan that addresses environmental concerns related to its drive thru.
“I think eventually I am going to vote for this project,” said commissioner John Parke. ” I am not going to vote for it today.”
A majority of the commission said that Chick-fil-A must show evidence that the drive-thru won’t have any additional impact on the environment than the same use without the drive-thru facility.
Commissioners Park, Kate Ford and Michael Cooney voted in favor of more environmental review and commissioners Vincent Martinez and Roy Reed voted in support of Chick-fil-A moving forward now.
“I really want this restaurant to go through, but I want this to be a win-win,” Ford said.
Chick-fil-A wants to open at the site of the former IHOP restaurant on Calle Real. But the popularity of the restaurant raised concerns about the length of the drive-thru line and its potential impact on emissions into the environment.
The restaurant is proposed for an area already impacted by popular drive-thru businesses. Next door is Starbucks, where sometimes cars queue out of the parking lot and onto Calle Real, and across the intersection is In-N-Out, which consistently attracts long lines, sometimes out onto the street.
Beth Collins, an attorney representing Chick-fil-A, said the maximum queue at Chick-fil-A would be 31 cars, all of which would be contained to the parking lot. And, she said, 85% of the time, the queue would have 19 cars or fewer.
“We are probably going to make the In-N-Out queue better because instead of staying in that big old line they are probably going to come over to our site too,” Collins said.
Chick-fil-A had many supporters.
“This is 100% what our community wants and desires,” said Drew Wakefield, who spoke during public comment. “This is about opening up an opportunity for a great, wonderful, incredible business that is going to serve delicious, affordable food.”
He said, “this is an extremely successful business that our community desires.”
Kristen Miller, president and CEO of the Santa Barbara South Coast Chamber of Commerce, also supported the project.
“There’s a very real demand for drive-thru locations on the South Coast,” Miller said. “From an economic and business community standpoint, this is the type of investment we should welcome.”
The commission’s recommendation went counter to the guidance from county staff.
The project did not require further environmental review, according to county planners, who determined the “location, physical characteristics, shape and size of the proposal” would satisfy existing land use laws.
The planners said streets and highways can handle the expected traffic and that the proposed 66-seat restaurant is similar in scale to surrounding development and would not exceed county thresholds for noise or air pollution.
“I think the site is ideal for this project,” said commissioner Reed. “I am very impressed with what Chick-fil-A has done with this site.”
Chick-fil-A sparks a polarized reaction from community members. The city of Santa Barbara had threatened to shut down the drive-thru after cars and trucks kept backing up into the street. Chick-fil-A, which replaced a Burger King, closed temporarily and refashioned its lot with three separate lines to avoid cars backing up onto the street.
The restaurant chain also draws opposition over the former CEO’s 2012 opposition to same-sex marriage, as well as corporate donations to causes considered anti-LGBTQ+. The company later announced it would change its charitable giving strategies.
Locally, Chick-fil-A rivals In-N-Out in its popularity and is a hangout for high school and college students. Chick-fil-A had more than 425 letters in support leading into the meeting.
Collins said the company has “huge brand loyalty.” She said that the restaurant will actually reduce vehicle miles traveled because it means fewer people in the Goleta area would drive to the Santa Barbara location to eat.
She said 78% of the Santa Barbara customers live in Isla Vista and Goleta, and won’t have to travel that far anymore if the new restaurant is approved.
“Air quality will actually be improved by this restaurant,” Collins said.
