Hearing officer approves McKenna Coffee drive-through at Harbor Boulevard with conditions on trash, circulation and design

The City of Ventura hearing officer approved McKenna Coffee at 2148 Harbor Boulevard, a proposed café with a two-lane drive-through, covered outdoor seating and a roughly 21-space parking area, subject to conditions addressing trash collection, circulation and landscaping.

Associate planner Grant White summarized the proposal and the project’s consistency with the Commercial Tourist Oriented (CTO) zone and the city’s drive-through standards. White said the site, a 0.74-acre parcel formerly occupied by a Denny's, was reviewed twice by the Design Review Committee; the DRC recommended design refinements but ultimately forwarded approval to the final decision maker. Staff found the proposal categorically exempt under CEQA §15332 (Class 32 infill) and recommended approval as conditioned.

During a detailed discussion, Director Rachel Diamond asked about trash-access arrangements with the neighboring Wienerschnitzel; White said the applicant and the adjacent property have reached a written agreement and provided a memo from EJ Harrison confirming timing limits for collection activities (between 1 a.m. and 5 a.m.). Diamond focused on pedestrian circulation and safety where customers cross the drive-through aisle; the applicant and architect discussed signage, a possible low landscape barrier, and design options such as truncated domes and marked crosswalks. Diamond approved the project with conditions allowing murals on exterior walls subject to administrative review, a required 'keep clear' strip at the drive-through exit, and a landscaping requirement that the applicant add a larger tree (the director said she prefers a queen palm or similar, subject to staff approval).