Atascadero council approves Home Depot Center plan allowing Chick‑fil‑A, car wash and retail pad with conditions

The Atascadero City Council voted unanimously to approve a specific‑plan amendment and related entitlements for the Home Depot Center that will allow a Chick‑fil‑A drive‑through restaurant, a car wash and a small retail shell on three vacant pads.

The council’s approval, taken after a long public hearing and a break so staff could draft new conditions, requires the drive‑through restaurant (Chick‑fil‑A) and retail pad permits to be issued before the car wash may receive its certificate of occupancy. Staff also added conditions requiring existing rear perimeter pole lights the applicant controls to be retrofitted with shields to meet current city lighting standards and limiting the car‑wash operating hours to 7 a.m.–7 p.m. City staff will evaluate operational noise at three and 12 months after opening and may require additional mitigation if complaints arise.

Why it matters: The project will finish buildout of the 27‑acre Home Depot Center and bring national and local tenants to a high‑visibility interchange near U.S. 101.…