Is Central Coast drive-in movie theater history? Nonprofit wants to build homes on site

Fans of the Hi-Way Drive In Theater in Santa Maria may not get the happy ending they hoped to see.

The Santa Maria Planning Commission on Wednesday will consider a request from People’s Self-Help Housing for a general plan land-use map amendment and zone change on an 8.89-acre site at 3170 Santa Maria Way, home to the theater.

The applicant, a nonprofit organization, is asking to change the commercial land-use and zoning to low-medium density residential land-use designation and PD/R-1, or Planned Development/Single Family Residential, zone district.

“With only the narrow street frontage, this location is essentially surrounded by properties with residential designations,” the staff report said. “Redevelopment of this flag-shaped parcel under the current commercial designation would result in an ‘island’ of retail development surrounded by low- and medium-density residential uses.

“This configuration will likely increase the potential for commercial-generated noise, illumination, and odors to negatively impact the adjacent residential users.”

The site has been home to a drive-in movie theater since 1959, and is the last operating drive-in theater in northern Santa Barbara County.

Hi-Way Drive In’s home has been listed on online real estate sites as available for sale for $3.3 million.

Martin Indvik from Lee & Associates told Noozhawk on Friday that the property is in escrow.

Rumors of the pending sale and demise of the drive-in theater led one fan, Chris Weddle, to create a Facebook page, Save The SM Hi-Way Drive-In, more than a year ago.

He reaffirmed his support Sunday.

“I understand that companies and developers want to see income from housing communities, which also gives those companies work, but it shouldn’t be at the expense of losing a special and rare family activity for this area,” Weddle said. “Too many times have I heard that small towns have nothing to do, and this small town is slowly changing into a city with fewer and fewer activities of all types.

“I would like to see the city of Santa Maria embrace the emotions of our townsfolk rather than stripping everything away just for more housing.”

The current request from People’s Self-Help Housing does not include applications for the tentative tract map or planned development permit, two items subject to a future review of the city Planning Commission.

Those also would be required and necessary to subdivide the property and develop it with single-family residences.

“However, the environmental analysis of this amendment proposal did rely on the applicant’s concept plan for a 50-lot (49 dwelling unit) single-family subdivision to determine impacts of the proposed land use and zone change,” the staff report said.

Other items on the commission’s busy agenda are:

• A request by Boomers Parks to remove a go-cart track for children and install three amusement park rides.
• A proposal by Sunset Recycling Center for conditional-use and planned-development permits to establish a buyback recycling facility at 1465 S. Broadway.
• Review of a tentative tract map to subdivide a 31.7-acre lot at 1955 South A St. into 20 lots.

Previously, this application included a “workforce housing” concept, including an Area 9 Specific Plan Amendment to introduce workforce housing as an allowed use and a Planned Development Permit for 12 workforce housing buildings.

“Since that time, the applicant has decided to move forward with only the tentative tract map application while further work is done to explore and refine the workforce housing concept,” the staff report said. “Therefore, future development on the newly created lots of this subdivision will be limited to the permitted and conditionally permitted land uses in the Area 9 Specific Plan.”

This land is designated for planned development/light manufacturing and planned development/commercial/professional office) in the Area 9 Specific Plan.

Any workforce housing proposal within Area 9 would require a specific plan amendment processed through future Planning Commission- and City Council-noticed public hearings, staff said.

The meeting will start at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in City Council chambers at City Hall, and also will be available via the city’s YouTube channel. The agenda can be found at cityofsantamaria.civicweb.net.