SJC Planning Commission To Talk In-N-Out Near Blas Aguilar Museum

SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, CA — Plans for a new In-N-Out in the heart of San Juan Capistrano will be on the table during the city's Planning Commission meeting Dec. 8. Members of the Planning Commission will consider whether or not to approve the necessary permits for the project to make it to the San Juan Capistrano City Council table.

The discussion is likely to carry on into next year.

The proposed In-N-Out project has drawn attention from the San Juan Capistrano community for its close proximity to historical sites, such as the Blas Aguilar Adobe Museum, which can be seen from the site's parking lot.

The project has also drawn community scrutiny for the added traffic congestion that would accompany the opening of an In-N-Out, as well as the fuel emissions from cars waiting in the restaurant's drive-thru line.

One man who attended November's Cultural Heritage Commission meeting commented on the concern he felt due to the fact that the location has only one driveway for vehicle entry and exit.

“Patrons will never be able to left turn out of the driveway due to the continuous flow of westbound vehicles turning in… it will cause a log jam," He said. "This issue cannot be mitigated."

The project was recently approved by the city's Cultural Heritage Commission, on the condition that a few aesthetic adjustments be made to the drive-thru restaurant's design.

To move forward with the project, the city would have to approve a request to demolish the existing 11,292 square-foot Marie Calendar's building on 31791 Del Obispo St. and construct a new 3,879 square-foot In-N-Out burger restaurant. The project also requires a Conditional Use Permit, Discretionary Use Permit and Tree Removal Permit — among other things.

The San Juan Capistrano Planning Commission meets Dec. 8 at 5 p.m. in City Council Chambers, 32400 Paseo Adelanto.