In-N-Out given go-ahead

Costa Mesa’s Planning Commission unanimously gave the green light to build an In-N-Out Burger restaurant and drive-through on the corner of Gisler Avenue and Harbor Boulevard, but rejected the restaurant’s pleas for a 65-foot-tall sign out front (twice the height of the current sign) and forced the establishment to beautify and maintain the landscape around the property.

Unless the deal falls through, the In-N-Out would take the place of Kaplan’s Deli, which went out of business four years ago.

City staff and In-N-Out management said there would be absolutely no lines of cars that extended beyond the drive-through and into the streets, but several planning commissioners and one resident were skeptical, citing other area In-N-Outs that have lines of cars blocking traffic during meal times. In its present form, the proposed In-N-Out would have a drive-through that would fit 14 cars.

“I’m a huge fan of In-N-Out, but that corner is not a good corner for the In-N-Out. There are going to be cars in and out of there all day long,” said Jason Piazza, who lives nearby, on California Street.

But the traffic concerns were overshadowed by a dispute over how much signage the restaurant could have and what the surrounding landscape would look like.

Both the property owner and In-N-Out objected to the commission’s landscaping requirements, saying there were too many unknowns and the price could add up, but commission Chairman Jim Righeimer said the requirements were minimal and necessary.

“This is something you kind of have to figure in. You’re going to pay for it, and you’re going to take care of the landscape. This is the entrance to the city,” Righeimer said.

The main points of contention were the stretch of land between the 405 Freeway offramp and the restaurant — the commission wants the chain-link fence replaced by a wrought-iron fence and the landscape maintained — and a wall that the commission wants built to separate In-N-Out from the adjacent gas station.

Commissioner Steve Mensinger said that as a developer he has made similar deals in Costa Mesa, and the requirements are not that difficult.

The property owner disagreed.

“It concerns us moving forward that this deal is not going to happen, and we beg of the commission that you reconsider some of these conditions,” said Kellie Newcombe, the owner’s granddaughter who spoke on behalf of the owner.

Newcombe said she and her family have been trying to find tenants for the spot for a long time and have been working with In-N-Out on a deal for a year.

The commission’s decision can be appealed to the City Council within seven days. In-N-Out management and the property owner declined to comment on whether they would appeal.

“We need to sit down and take stock of what went on here,” said In-N-Out real estate attorney Andy Dawson.