Drive-Through View

I am shocked, baffled, and outright angry after spending the past six months witnessing the Goleta City Council’s debacle with the Peterson family and the McDonald’s drive-through. This McDonald’s is owned and operated by a family with deep, deep roots in community-giving that wants to grow their business and spent $250,000 working with the city on this project.

I gave my full support to this project after hearing from experts that air quality would not be affected, traffic and parking would be improved, and pedestrian, handicapped, and bicycle travel would become safer because of the drive-through, crosswalk, sidewalk, and median that McDonald’s would pay for.

The Goleta City Council did not listen to the people of Goleta, who came in an overwhelming majority to support McDonald’s. The Goleta council did not listen to its own staff, design review board, or Planning Commission, which all favored the project. The council didn’t even vote for the alternative McDonald’s plan that it had asked for and helped design.

The council did, however, listen to the Goleta Coalition, a small but vocal group that feels it has the right to speak for all Goleta residents. The council also approved a massive Westar project with its drive-through pharmacy and are considering a new Taco Bell drive-through.

I urge all Goleta residents to attend a Goleta City Council meeting, check on the issues, and remember that at election time we need a council that listens to the majority and doesn’t alienate its allies.