Planning commission continues decision on Calle Real Chick‑fil‑A after traffic and air‑quality concerns

The Santa Barbara County Planning Commission voted 3–2 on March 25 to continue a decision on a proposed Chick‑fil‑A restaurant and dual‑lane drive‑through at 4765 Calle Real to its May 27 hearing so the applicant can submit additional evidence about air‑quality impacts and compliance with a county drive‑through development standard.

Staff planner Willow Brown summarized the application as a request for a land‑use permit and conditional use permit for demolition of an existing restaurant and construction of a 2,647‑square‑foot quick‑service restaurant on a 1.42‑acre retail parcel in the Eastern Goleta Valley Community Plan area. Brown told commissioners the project was screened out of additional CEQA analysis under CEQA Guidelines §15183 because it is a commercial use on a commercially zoned site that was anticipated by the community plan EIR; she also said the traffic and air‑quality technical memoranda were peer‑reviewed and accepted by county reviewers and the Air Pollution Control District. Brown said the traffic analysis estimated about 971 vehicle…