7 to 0 Vote = DEL NO!!!

LOS ALTOS PROUD!!!

Planning Commission votes 7-0 against CUP for 

Del Taco drive-thru in 
Los Altos neighborhood

Buoyed by a mid-afternoon Tweet from Long Beach Mayor Robert Garcia supporting the Los Altos neighborhood (TWEET), dozen's of neighbors testified before the Planning Commission before the commissioners voted 7-0 to deny the Conditional Use Permit for the proposed Del Taco drive-through.

Staff reported that they had received 100 letters opposing the proposed drive-through.

Only the developer spoke in favor of the development.

The dozen's of resident's from across the Los Altos Center Adjacent Neighborhoods  spoke glowingly about the quiet small town feel of the neighborhood and its walkable nature.  Long-time residents spoke with pride about the older well-kept neighborhood that was revitalized by re-development of the Los Altos Center that lives in harmony with the high density apartments that ring the neighborhood filled with CSULB students.

The residents have worked hard to maintain that harmony with the students by working to keep late-night youth-oriented businesses away from the single-family homes filled with multi-generational residents.

Residents lined up to  explain about the negative impacts of the proposed drive-through on the residential street of Abbeyfield.

The grateful crowd  burst into cheers at the 7-0 vote and shouted thank-you to the Planning Commission.

Fourth District Councilman Daryl Supernaw who had sat in  the back of the Chamber and watched the entire meeting greeted and congratulated the residents after the vote in lobby area. 

The vote came at the end of  10 day period of turmoil where residents from across Los Altos rallied to protect their neighborhood.  Starting with a Public Hearing notice, the community quickly took to organizing on neighborhood social media.  Responding to the community, Councilman Supernaw quickly organized a Community Meeting with the developer. By most accounts in social media, at that meeting the developer came across to the down-to-earth neighborhood as "arrogant".  The neighbors quickly organized a well attended protest two days later combined with a letter writing campaign.

With back-to-back stories in the Grunion and Press-Telegram the day before the Public Hearing and the unexpected but welcome Tweet hors before the meeting, the neighborhood buzz was that the momentum was on the side of the neighborhood.  

The Shell Station owner planned to lease the property to the Del Taco corporation. While a fast-food type restruant could be built on the property with-out a drive-through, the Planning Commission vote effectively kills a drive-through ever being located on the property.