Public Comment on Proposed In-N-Out Burger

305 registered statements
Monty Lucas inside City Boundary
Being a 19 year resident of the city of Campbell and living in the downtown area that entire time I've watched the planning department and commission make several very intelligent decisions regarding the growth of our community. Having said that, I am very concerned about the impact that a very high traffic store will have in that location. With the intersection already serving Home Depot, Bed Bath & Beyond, Kohl's, and Panera it sometimes takes several cycling's of the signals to traverse the intersection. It is my opinion that none of the aforementioned stores generates near the vehicle traffic that an In and Out store will. Granted I have no technical data to back this up; just my own personal experience of using their stores around the bay are. For example, the store on El Camino & Grant in Mountain View and the store near El Camino & in Wolfe in Sunnyvale. Both sit at intersections and on thoroughfares that function more efficiently then the intersection at Hamilton at Almarida and Hamilton at Salmar currently operate. Please also keep in mind at the present time traffic often backs up more than 1/2 mile onto Highway 17 with people trying to exit onto Hamilton to make a right-hand turn. To add a high-volume store to that location, which will draw vehicles off the freeway that would not normally use these intersection, will have a detrimental impact on those of us that use these intersection daily. It might also reduce our property values due to the increased difficulty getting into and out of our neighborhood. In my opinion placing a high-volume store such as In and Out on any of the main arteries into and out of Campbell off of Highway 17 would have a negative impact to that particular neighborhood. Placing the store farther off the freeway such as on Bascom Avenue up towards Stevens Creek or on Winchester in the direction of Stevens Creek would help meter traffic due to the length of time it takes to travel that distance before reaching an entrance onto Highway 17.
On another note, please understand that I am not against the store itself. The only two fast food restaurants my wife and I eat at are In & Out and Chipotle.
Patrick Rosengarten outside City Boundary
Just look everywhere where there is an in and out burger and look at the constant traffic look at the litter is this intersection going to be able to stand from exiting 17 North or southbound or even just coming up Hamilton either direction this will cause such a traffic jam will be horrendous for anybody who lives when the 2-mile radius let's think about this people Campbell is a quaint little town and a franchised drive-thru is not what we need
Jina Duncan outside City Boundary
Could anyone really imagine ANOTHER problem at the intersection of Hamilton and Hwy. 17? As if the exit lane off Hwy. 17 to Hamilton isn't an accident waiting to happen every 3 seconds (need I say more?). I propose the off ramp of Hwy. 17 have a stop light installed with HUGE "No Turn on Red" signs. Here are the main reasons:
*Traffic coming down Hamilton and turning right on Almarida will be able to avoid merging at the last possible second with rapid flow of traffic exiting off Hwy 17.
*Stopping the oncoming traffic traveling down Hamilton and allowing the traffic exiting off Hwy 17 to have the Right of Way will allow this flow of traffic to turn right in Almarida or left into Home Depot without crossing 3 lanes of traffic causing countless delays and pile up accidents.
*Pedestrians! They will be able to cross over the Hwy. 17 off ramp without running for dear life. It becomes a blind corner. Exiting traffic looks left for oncoming traffic instead of right for pedestrians while speeding up to exit or slamming on breaks to wait to cross all 3 lanes.
This leads up to the In N Out proposal. I live and travel to and from the Castlemont Elementary area to Hwy. 17 everyday using both residential streets and Winchester/Hamilton. By adding this additional traffic barricade, there will be no way around the cluster to get to or from Hwy. 17 on main streets or residential without driving ALL the way up to Camden (adding additional congestion to another congested area) since Campbell Ave. does not have an 880 on/off ramp or out to Stevens Creek (Santana Row and Valley Fair traffic? No Thanks!) since Moorpark only has a 280 on ramp and no 880 on/off ramps... Traveling so far out of your way just to get to anywhere near Home, Downtown Campbell, existing businesses is just INSANE! It will only make the City of Campbell suffer.
What about Parking? In N Out is well known for the meals they provide and have a very strong demand. The demand alone overflows their parking lots with cars standing in the drive thru blocking open parking spaces in their own lot causing traffic to flow out onto residential streets or Hamilton Ave. The domino effect is overwhelming. They will create a huge back up in both driveways leading to this lot off Almarida and Hamilton, Almarida will be at a stand still with cars coming off of Hamilton to use the alternate driveway and cars will back up onto Hamilton. Customers getting to INO will begin traveling through the side streets to come up Almarida from the other direction using Central Ave to turn into the side driveway only making street wear and tear worse on the roads since they were not designed to handle a heavy flow of traffic and taking away the residential neighborhood feel and calm. Parked cars will begin to take over spaces near Panera Bread and Bed, Bath & Beyond and Kohl's as well as the open street parking used as residential parking for the apartment community and homes on Almarida.
Noise factor: The 3 surrounding locations in Santa Clara and San Jose open as early as 10:00am and close as late as 1:30am. Late night customers will also flood this area. Residential zones are just too close by to tolerate this noise level from customers, cars and loud music.
During the daytime will add the brick wall of traffic getting in and out of the schools in the area with children.
A business with such impressive demand would be great for the City of Campbell just not in this location.
Thank you for your time,
Jina Duncan
Katherine McHale outside City Boundary
As someone who lives in the area (West San Jose), I'm quite concerned about the traffic impact from the proposed In-N-Out restaurant, in particular the drive-through component. I understand this drive-through feature is a key part of their brand, so it's not something they are likely to agree to do without.
The traffic at that intersection is already quite congested. And during peak traffic times, the traffic on the side street between the restaurant and Bed Bath & Beyond is dangerous. A few years ago, I was in a minor accident when a driver made a left turn in front of me to get into the Elephant Bar parking lot. My insurance agent said there have been other accidents at that spot. I am concerned about the increase in vehicles not only coming to park and stay for a while, but entering and exiting the drive-through in a short time. And peak afternoon/evening traffic coincides with the peak time when people would use the drive-through, making it even more dangerous.
Matt Miller outside City Boundary
This is a horrible idea.
Likely the worst off ramp in the area already, I suspect it will back up to the 280.
With cars already stopping on off ramp unsure that they have a protected lane, others trying to skip across 3 lanes to get to Home Depot, and cars diving in to get to Bed Bath & Beyond, it's an absolute nightmare.
The City staff should take a ride over to the new San Carlos In and Out during lunch. They have 3 times the space, and still the cars stop in the middle of the street to get in line.
I really hope for the sake of drivers safety this isn't approved.
Nagabhusha Nanjaiah inside City Boundary
It better suites for restaurants like pf changs or california pizza or any dine in place. It may work with in n out burger, however not a drive thru if it has the vehicles entering and leaving on almarida drive. I really dont see it helping the traffic either on hamilton. Also the place has trees which needs to be left alone irrespective of any plans to develop the area.
Syd Raineri outside City Boundary
An in&out on this sight is not appropriate the name itself says it all,a huge volume of traffic. The traffic exiting hwy 17 onto Hamilton at any time is always backed up and adds to the problems on Almarida for residents. I also envision even more traffic on our inner residential streets as we already have problems with cars cutting across our streets from Moorpark and Winchester. it s a well known short cut Hamilton Ave. Can,t imagine the City of Campbell even considering such idea.
Robert Lopez inside City Boundary
Great idea. Nothing has survived at this location because it's hosted sit down restaurants. This location is prime for a drive thru - In N Out manages queues well, it's right of the freeway (just like every prime In N Out location), and its location will also help keep any excess traffic contained to within 0.05 miles of the freeway (so minimal impact to the city as a whole).
This project will bring revenue to the city, the location was already zoned for a food establishment, it will be beneficial to the stores surrounding the area, and its the tastiest burger in the country in our own back yard. Don't let this project get derailed.
roderick anda inside City Boundary
In n out is great and I think the revenue would be good for campbell.
We LOVE In-N-Out Burger, and are excited at the prospect of having one closer than the airport. HOWEVER, the old Elephant Bar location is NOT the place to build it!!! Traffic at the intersection of Hamilton and Almarida is already a horrible mess, particularly during rush hour. This has been a miserable intersection for years, and CANNOT handle more traffic for an In-N-Out Burger. It's ridiculous enough that you can't proceed straight through the intersection from Almarida into the Home Depot parking lot, and vice versa, plus there's the current danger to pedestrians trying to cross with left-turning vehicles coming out of the Home Depot parking lot right into their path. Increased traffic for an In-N-Out Burger would be an additional nightmare, ESPECIALLY if there is a drive-thru! Have you seen the drive-thru lane at the airport location??? There is not nearly enough room for a successful In-N-Out Burger at the Elephant Bar location. I don't understand how you could even take this project at this location into consideration. Now, where you should consider placing an In-N-Out Burger is at Dick's Center at 1350-1400 South Bascom. There's lots of space and lots of parking and lots of lanes for traffic on South Bascom Avenue. It's a direct shot from City College up the street. Make Dick's Center into an International Food Court instead of just languishing, empty buildings.