Atascadero is getting a new drive-thru coffee chain — but a noise concern nearly derailed it
An Oregon-based drive-through coffee chain will open an Atascadero location this spring — but noise concerns from the husband of a city official delayed the approval process for more than a month.
A local franchisee, Pat Mitchell, plans to build a Human Bean coffee shop on two combined properties in the 7800 block of El Camino Real that are currently home to an empty storage facility and a vacant single-family home.
City Council members on Jan. 14 voted 5-0 to approve the project.
Most of the chain’s stores are in the Pacific Northwest, although there are a smattering of locations in California and throughout the country.
Human Bean coffee shops are all drive-thru only and offer a variety of coffee and espresso drinks, as well as smoothies.
Mitchell wants to open a string of Human Bean stores throughout the Central Coast and the Central Valley, said Pamela Jardini, the project’s planning and land use consultant.
Two additional San Luis Obispo County stores are planned for Morro Bay and Templeton, with additional locations in Lompoc, Clovis and Fresno, Jardini said.
Construction on the Atascadero location will likely start in April, after the rainy season. The store is expected to open in May or June, Jardini said.
Noise concerns, new drive-thru policy in Atascadero
Although the coffee shop was initially approved in December, a prominent neighbor’s concerns about early morning noise from the outdoor speaker used for ordering prompted an appeal and a delay.
The Planning Commission voted 5-0 on Dec. 3 to approve plans for the project. The only condition required the speaker use an automatic volume control (AVC) system that adjusts the sound based on the ambient noise level.
At the meeting, Al Fonzi — who lives on Sinaloa Avenue in a house directly behind the property — expressed concerns about the coffee shop and early morning speaker noise, according to a city staff report.
Fonzi, a well-known conservative leader and columnist, is married to Atascadero Councilwoman Roberta Fonzi.
Following the Planning Commission approval, Mayor Heather Moreno appealed the project. In her letter, she cited the noise concern and the commission’s decision not to set parameters around the coffee shop’s hours of operation.
“This property abuts a residential area and I am concerned about whether sufficient attention was given to the potential impacts on the neighbors,” Moreno wrote.
Public officials can appeal projects for free, but a resident must pay $1,058 to do so at the City Council level, according to the city’s 2019 fee schedule.
The city has been trying to figure out how to regulate its glut of drive-thru businesses, especially those located near San Anselmo Road and the Del Rio Road overpass.
The City Council in November adopted a drive-thru business policy to guide future development.
One aspect of the policy involves increasing traffic impact fees on new drive-thrus, which will “allow the city to appropriately mitigate circulation impacts of commercial uses that generate high traffic counts,” according to a city staff report.
Leaders will also evaluate drive-thru businesses using the conditional use permit and design review processes.
City Council approves coffee shop after delay
At a Jan. 14 meeting, City Council members considered the drive-through coffee shop project, and Fonzi recused herself.
The council opted not to impose the higher impact fees on the Human Bean shop, as the project had been submitted before the new policy was put in place.
A sound expert also answered council members’ questions about noise from the outdoor speaker and assured them studies had shown it will be negligible.
However, the shift in attitude towards drive-throughs was at the top of council members’ minds during deliberations.
“We’ve had conversations at council in the last few months about drive-throughs, and impacts on neighborhood — from traffic, to what that means for future development and intersections ... and I really wanted to make sure we took a look at this,” Moreno said. “Because while we are talking about very few residents, everyone matters.”
Councilwoman Susan Funk acknowledged Al Fonzi is the “spouse of my colleague,” and encouraged the council to “proceed with great caution on this one.”
“If we treat this situation differently because a person of well-connection or prominence is raising an issue or complaint, that’s the stuff that drives people absolutely nuts about government,” Funk said. “They feel betrayed. So we have an obligation to be fair to our applicant — that the applicant gets the same treatment, regardless of who lives over the back fence.”
Ultimately, the council approved the Human Bean location, adding only a performance condition that would allow for mitigation if the sound from the drive-thru becomes too loud.
“I was very glad to see the City Council supported the bringing to town of a new business,” Jardini said.
