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Planning commissioners approve Raising Cane’s drive‑through with parking reconfiguration and oak‑tree encroachments
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Summary
The Thousand Oaks Planning Commission on Aug. 25 approved a special‑use permit and protected‑tree permit allowing Raising Cane’s to reestablish a double‑lane drive‑through at 400 North Moorpark Road, with a small building addition, parking reconfiguration and minor encroachments into three protected oak trees.
Thousand Oaks planning commissioners voted 4‑0 Aug. 25 to approve a special‑use permit and a protected‑tree permit that will allow Raising Cane’s to reestablish a double‑lane drive‑through restaurant at 400 North Moorpark Road.
The decision, made after a staff presentation and public comment, allows a small, 60‑square‑foot pay‑window addition, relocation and reconfiguration of parking and minor encroachments into the protected zones of three young oak trees. The commission found the project categorically exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act under the CEQA guideline classes cited by staff and approved the entitlements as conditioned. Commissioner Lanson made the motion; the record shows the vote as Commissioners Bus, Lanson, Tyler Kettlehut and Chair Ferris voting yes and Commissioner McMahon absent.
Staff said the permit is necessary because the prior drive‑through use ceased operations for more than 90 days and the property is now zoned mixed‑use, which requires planning‑commission review for drive‑throughs. Senior Planner Carlos Contreras told the commission the applications include a special‑use permit to reestablish the drive‑through (including a requested 12% parking reduction), and a protected‑tree permit to allow encroachment into three oak trees to accommodate parking reconfiguration and the new pay window. Contreras said, “staff has determined that the project as designed is consistent with the general plan.”
Under staff’s packet, the site is shown as a former drive‑through building; staff described the existing building at about 4,607 square feet, while the applicant’s representative described the building floor area as 4,120 square feet. The application proposes a 60‑square‑foot addition on the north elevation for a second pay window and a reduced outdoor seating area. Staff reported the parcel will provide 47 parking spaces after reconfiguration; the municipal code requires 53 spaces for that parcel, a deficit of 6. Staff said the broader shopping center provides 594 spaces and requires 540 overall, creating a net surplus for the center.
The applicant’s stacking and queuing plan divides operations into three phases: a standard, non‑peak configuration that accommodates 18 vehicles in the double‑lane queue; a peak‑hour configuration that adds nine spillover vehicles (27 total); and an infrequent special‑event configuration that can accommodate up to 36 queued vehicles. Raising Cane’s and staff said operational measures that will be required as conditions of approval include handheld tablets and mobile ordering, additional crew members to manage traffic and pickup, a parking‑management plan, staging of staff to direct circulation, use of off‑duty police as needed for special events, and exterior cameras. The applicant said the parking reconfiguration work will take about three months and estimated site‑work costs of roughly $500,000.
The project also requires a protected‑tree permit for minor encroachments into three young oak trees that were installed when the previous tenant (Amy’s) built the store. Both staff and the applicant indicated the encroachments are minor, the trees will be protected in place and none of the protected oaks will be removed.
Public comment was mixed. Diane McKay, owner of Mustang Marketing and representing tenant concerns in the center, urged the commission to reconsider the scope of parking lot reconstruction because tenants fear construction disruption and additional expense; she said tenants were not directly notified by the property owner. Daniel Borgia, president and CEO of the Greater Conejo Valley Chamber of Commerce, spoke in support of Raising Cane’s, saying the chain brings reliable jobs and a high‑volume, efficient drive‑through product. Dana Sales, the applicant’s representative, described the brand’s quick‑service model and said Raising Cane’s is prepared to invest in site upgrades and to operate with measures intended to minimize spillover impacts.
Commissioners asked staff and the applicant about consistency with the 2023 general plan, which generally discourages new drive‑through facilities in mixed‑use areas. Staff’s response was that the commission’s review must assess whether the proposed project, on an existing drive‑through building and with the proposed circulation improvements, meets mixed‑use standards. Based on the project design and the conditions recommended by staff, the project was found consistent with the general plan. The commission’s approval included the revision to condition 27 that was provided in the supplemental packet to limit the outdoor dining area to the 1,051 square feet shown on the plans.
The motion approved special‑use permit SUP‑2024‑70023 and protected‑tree permit PTP‑2025‑70042 subject to the conditions in the staff report, as modified in the supplemental packet. The commission’s decision may be appealed to the City Council by filing an appeal with the Community Development Department within 10 days.
