On April 22, 2024, the Planning Commission held a public hearing to consider a request from the Applicant, Rodney Rivani of the Royce Company, to demolish an existing, 5,725 square-foot building previously occupied by the Elks Lodge and construct a new 1,200 square-foot, drive-through restaurant (Starbucks Coffee) with outdoor menu boards with speakers at 541 East Whittier Boulevard. Following the public hearing, the Commission voted to continue the project to a date uncertain, in order to allow staff and the Applicant sufficient time to address concerns regarding driveway access on Chestnut Street and potential traffic control measures. The Commission also asked the applicant and staff to study ways to reduce privacy impacts to the neighboring residential property to the north of the project, evaluate the potential to increase the height of the existing wall along the northern property line, identify appropriate hours for truck deliveries to the proposed restaurant and look into whether the daily hours of operation should be adjusted to reflect an earlier closing time than 10:30 p.m.  

Since the April 22, 2024, Planning Commission meeting, staff and the Applicant have been working together to address these issues. In addition, staff and the Applicant have been in contact with adjacent property owners along Chestnut Street, and held a community meeting on July 15, 2024, to further work to resolve the community's concerns. Staff thought that the Applicant would be ready to present revised plans to the Commission at tonight's meeting, and therefore noticed a Public Hearing for the proposed project. However, at this time, the Applicant is requesting that DR 23-05 and CUP 23-03 be continued in order to allow the Applicant to have additional time to work on their drive-through management plan and provide further refinements to their project plans.