Council clears zoning change for drive‑through restaurant at 8915 Bosler Avenue

The council voted on March 10 to approve a general‑plan amendment and zone change for 8915 Bosler Avenue to permit a consolidated site and a speculative 1,700‑square‑foot drive‑through restaurant with linked parking.

"The applicant is proposing to change the general plan land use designation from medium density residential to commercial," Planning Manager John Signno said as he described the project and the planning commission recommendation. Signno noted the urban‑neighborhood (UN) zone still permits residential development and said the change would not reduce the city's long‑term housing capacity.

The proposed development would demolish an existing structure, consolidate adjacent parcels on Firestone Boulevard, construct a 1,700‑square‑foot restaurant with a U‑shaped drive‑through lane and a 220‑square‑foot covered patio, and provide about 14 parking spaces across the parcels. The project was presented as speculative—staff said the developer had not named a tenant—but the owner told council he expected a tenant within 12 months.

City Treasurer de la raised a concern that a planning‑commission condition linking the Bosler parking lot to the restaurant parcels could make the rezoning appear project‑specific and prompt spot‑zoning questions. Planning staff said the parcel has been used as parking for decades and that changing zoning to match adjacent commercial parcels brings the land‑use map into alignment and preserves parking for the restaurant by linking the parcels.

Council approved the resolution and introduced the ordinance for the zone change on first reading. Votes were recorded in favor of the staff recommendation.