BRIEFLY IN THE NEWS

-- Compiled By Torus Tammer and Kenneth Ma

The Huntington Beach City Council voted 4 to 1 Monday to allow a

drive-through bakery to be part of the plans for the redevelopment of

Huntington Beach Mall.

Councilwoman Shirley Dettloff dissented. Councilman Tom Harman was

absent, and Mayor Dave Garofalo abstained.

The specific plan sets guidelines for the redevelopment of the mall,

which is to be dubbed The Crossings at Huntington.

Ezralow Retail Properties LLC, which owns most of the mall, is in

negotiations with Krispy Kreme, company president Douglas Gray said.

Gray told council members the bakery is expected to draw up to 300,000

people to the mall annually.

Ezralow has plans to redevelop the aging mall into an Italian village

design that would include upscale stores and restaurants, and an

18-screen movie theater.

Dettloff said having any sort of drive-through establishment would not

conform to the mall’s upscale ambience.

“I have always maintained what we wanted to see is the best mall we

can possibly have,” Dettloff said.

Surf City to get new burger joint

Surf City will finally have its own In-N-Out Burger, joining 17 other

locations in Orange County.

The Irvine-based fast-food franchise received permission from the city

to start construction of a restaurant at 18062 Beach Blvd. in November,

said Mark Lamoreux, president of MSL Engineer Inc., In-N-Out’s project

engineer.

The restaurant, which will be built near the corner Talbert Avenue, is

expected to be completed by March. It will be the city’s first In-N-Out

restaurant. It will seat 70 and have 64 parking spaces.

“In-N-Out has always been anxious to put a restaurant in Huntington

Beach, but it has taken a lot of time to find the right property,”

Lamoreux said. “We feel we have a really good location to help service

the people of Huntington Beach.”

Walling up noise at fast-food restaurant

The Fountain Valley City Council will let the Planning Commission know

at the Aug. 23 meeting whether the Del Taco on Brookhurst Street can

build a wall to reduce noise from the speaker at its drive-through menu.

In June, the commission allowed the restaurant to open its

drive-through window round the clock on Fridays and Saturdays. Del Taco

told residents they would build an 8-foot wall along the south property

line, which it shares with State Farm Insurance, to keep the noise levels

down.

But at the Aug. 1 council meeting, resident Frank Negri challenged the

commission’s decision. He also claimed there could be an access easement

along the south property line that would hinder construction of a wall

there.

The council directed staff to look into the matter and report back to

the commission on whether such an easement exists. The council also

tabled its discussion about the permit, saying it needs time to gather

more information.