EARL PORTER, San Juan Capistrano
I was extremely dismayed by our City Council’s recent approval of the proposal for In-N-Out on Del Obispo St. I have lived in this city since 1975 and while not always agreeing with decisions of the Council this is, in my opinion, by far the most concerning issue in terms of benefit for the community as a whole!
In spite of significant community opposition, as well as recommendations against this proposal from the Planning Commission, Cultural Heritage Commission and Design Review Committee the current City Council, by split vote, decided to move forward with this project.
How can these three councilmembers ignore the already large negative traffic congestion at various hours of the day? If anyone truly believes traffic congestion is not a real issue here then they haven’t travelled on Del Obispo Street at the peak hours, regardless of direction.
To say “traffic was already an issue before this project and is a problem they can’t fix” is irresponsible and only exacerbates the problem. There are already two In-N-Out locations within a short drive from the center of town. Why is there a need for a third?
The biggest question in my mind is whose interests are being served by this approval: the community as a whole, or individual members of the council or the City coffers?
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