Public Comment on Proposed In-N-Out Burger

As much as I love In-N-Out, the proposed location is not a good one. The restaurant would be right next to a freeway off ramp. My concern is how traffic exiting the freeway would be affected. In-N-Out restaurants often have drive-thru lines that carry over onto public roads. No one wants to exit the freeway and immediately be stuck in a drive-thru line for In-N-Out. This is not the right location for the proposed restaurant.

This area intersection is as close to "fail" as any intersection in Campbell right now. In 'n Out serves hundreds of cars per day. This is not the right place for a high volume drive through as well as a sit-down restaurant.
And what will it say about Campbell? Welcome to the fast food and traffic capital of the west valley.

Traffic in this small area is already horrific. I cannot imagine how much worse it will be with this popular food chain backing up traffic. It will cause more of a backup to highway 17 and all of the surrounding streets. This area cannot support such a busy drive thru restaurant - I think that is the key take away here - A BUSY DRIVE THRU = LOTS OF CARS - The traffic will be horrendous. Please do not approve.
(I am a Campbell resident although this states otherwise. Assume that is based on zip code alone. There are a few of us with an SJ zip code who actually reside in Campbell on S. Clover and Monica lane, etc.)

Agree with the residents who say I love In-N-Out but this location is already crazy.. I get off this exit everyday from work.. The last thing we need there is a high volume drive through..

This is not going to help with the congestion that we already have on Hamilton Avenue. A family-friendly sit down restaurant would be much preferable.

The whole area surrounding Hamilton Ave. & Almarida is already a traffic nightmare. Between people getting on and off Hwy 17, people trying to get to Frys, Home Depot, Staples, Kohls, BB&B, and Panera, or people just trying to get home to the apartment complex, it's total chaos. I can't even fathom what putting an In-N-Out drive-thru would do.

While I personally like the In-N-Out Burger chain, I think the proposed location would be a traffic nightmare. The exit from 17 South to Hamilton Ave is already a frustrating traffic setting. Many drivers do not realize that there is a full usable lane they can enter to turn right onto Hamilton Ave, and so they back up the exit by waiting for an "opening" in the middle lane's traffic. With a destination fast-food location, many people unfamiliar with the area will make the same mistake, creating major backups at the exit.
We already have a McDonald's, Burger King, Taco Bell, Jack in the Box and Dairy Queen just a few blocks away on Hamilton Ave and Winchester Blvd. We don't need another fast food chain nearby, especially in an already congested area.
I think it will draw a lot of non-residents to come just for In-N-Out, then head back onto Highway 17 immediately after. I don't think they'll be sticking around to shop at other Campbell locations or have a significant impact on drawing customers to nearby Campbell stores.
The only good would come from their yummy food, but I really don't think it would be worth the cost in Campbell residents' quality of life that would be diminished by the increased traffic congestion at that intersection.
Thank you for considering my comments.

An In n Out Burger at the old Elephant Bar site is a horrible idea. I drive this route every day, and the traffic coming at the intersection of Hamilton and Almarida, so close to the always-crowded 17 interchange is heavy. This is an intersection that already causes confusion between Home Depot and Kohl's (despite the new brightly lit sign -- thank you, City of Campbell!) Anyone familiar with In N Out Traffic can only imagine the nightmare this will cause at all hours of the day and night. Locating this business at the old Elephant Bar will make it impossible to get "in n out" of our neighborhood. We don't need another hamburger joint -- please find another family-friendly tenant for this corner!

In&Out is a very popular business with a very lengthy drive-through line of vehicles and a large number of cars parked. Please monitor the location by the airport at busy times. This location in Campbell is small and at a busy corner, and will be swamped by this business, spilling over on to the streets and causing the already busy traffic to be a nightmare. Just say no.

I have to echo the recurring sentiment that the traffic at this point on Hamilton is already more congested than preferred and looking at the proposed plan for the In-N-Out there doesn't seem to be much being done to mitigate the new impact, much less lessen the current problems.

The plan as shared raises the following concerns:
- main point of entry is designated as Hamilton Ave. The drive through is designed to handle 20 cars before flow would need to start backing up towards the road entry. This doesn't show the impact of cars waiting to get into and out of the area for parking to eat in the restaurant.

- restaurant building is designed to be much closer to the corner, which aesthetically is quite different then the current commercial buildings. The Bed, Bath & Beyond and Home Depot are fairly offset from the street which provides a sense of openness even though already a highly congested area.

- impact on Almarida, this street is already frequently used as a pass-through for people wanting to get to Hamilton while avoiding traffic on Winchester or Hamilton. This would increase the amount of traffic coming through the somewhat blind roundabout and cars already ignoring posted traffic signs and speed limits near a park and residential area. The traffic impact analysis should be sure to consider more than just the Hamilton/Almarida intersection.

- Litter/waste. As was mentioned earlier, there are already multiple fast food establishments and convenience stores nearby and the litter and refuse currently already spills into the neighboring areas. Any impact study hopefully will provide sufficient analysis of the increased litter from an establishment that is primarily focused on serving food to be consumed in vehicle.

- proposed design aesthetics, the proposed design shows that the drive through waiting line will be adjacent to Hamilton. As mentioned in other statements, this area already gets highly congested. The fact that there will now be an additional line of cars seems to just increase the visual impact of traffic overload / congestion. The proposed design does not seem to take aesthetics as part of its deliverables.

While adding popular chains and destinations is appealing, the location does not seem appropriate for the proposed business. The high likelihood of increased traffic congestion, increased waste/litter, and impact on aesthetics in an area that already deals with these challenges makes it seem that this corner location is not well-suited for the proposed use.

I agree with all those here concerned about area traffic--and ambiance. There's an empty Baja Fresh right on Bascom across from Pruneyard that would be a much better logistical fit. My vote will always be that Campbell not succumb to a 'strip-mall mentality', sponsoring yet another 'food joint', or for that matter backing burgeoning, multi-story housing/office projects in inappropriate areas that destroy views and invite noise pollution. We aren't just any city: We have a lovely 'village' environment that really does possess a community feel. An expedient profit choice could create traffic and culture problems for a city that has worked so hard to build and maintain a communal, 'visit us' feel, while being pretty successful at communicating an upscale/inviting environment. It's a balance worth preserving.

Traffic at this corner, including the backup on to 17, is horrible. It can be impossible to change lanes. An In-N-Out Burger is a horrible mistake, especially with the long lines of cars in the take out lanes that I see at places like the Coleman, San Jose location of this burger chain.

NO! Horrible location for a drive thru, can't believe they actually applied. They pulled out of a Walnut Creek proposal due to neighborhood outcry, and that location made far more sense than this one. Let's hope they do the right thing so the city can find a better tenant for that property. As long as they hold the lease to that location (which they do as of February) no one else can apply. They need to do the right thing and move on.

There are pros and cons to this proposal, but I see a few major show-stoppers that have to be considered. 1) frequent lane closure during peak hours, and 2) no authorized parking areas for their overflow. (And we could also discuss the influx of crime happening at these places, they have a high rate of car break ins. They know it, the cities who have them know it, Mt View is a hot bed for car break in, and Campbell will soon know it if this gets approved.)

That site is not large enough for their looooooong drive through lines, and as a result I fully expect it will overflow onto Hamilton Ave blocking a lane during peak hours. What can the city do then? Will we cone off a section of Hamilton just for their drive through overflow? (Coning off extra space is the common option many cities do). Or will police hangout there and tell people to find parking? That won't work if their lot is full. And with only 64 available spaces for both employees AND patrons, which is far less than many of their other locations (and many hard to get in and out of due to the drive through lane blocking them), that is not a lot. Which leads to the other big problem.... no free commercial zoned parking in the area. No garage parking. Nada.

The surrounding neighborhood is NOT prepared or capable of supporting their parking overflow. The nearby big box stores surrounding them have private parking lots, there is very little public parking, and what street parking is available is used for residential parking at the Franciscan apartments. (The black fencing around Kohls and BBB was put there to keep the Elephant Bar overflow out and the jaywalkers crossing 4 lanes to a minimum.) If (or when) the big box stores put up a "No In-N-Out parking allowed" sign, people will spill out to the streets obliterating the needed residential parking. Keep in mind that street parking makes up a huge amount of the parking needed at the Franciscan. I am sure this will lead them to apply for residential parking permits. And if they get it approved, what then? Where will the In-N-Out overflow parking go then?

Hamilton Exit is the MAIN entry point into most of Campbell. It is how we tell visitors to get to our revitalized downtown. To our festivals. To our many businesses on Winchester. To West Gate Mall. It will be a crucial exit when Santana West is built up as the Stevens Creek exit is far too inadequate for the increase in traffic there. (And the proposed new 280 off ramp dropping off onto Tisch Road hasn't even been approved). The Hamilton exit cannot flow if it regularly has a lane blocking traffic flow while other people circle the area to find authorized parking. I would LOVE to have an In-N-Out in Campbell, JUST NOT THERE.

Bottom line, unless In-N-Out can be fully self sustainable on that property with virtually no overflow, they WILL create gridlock on Hamilton, displace residents at the Franciscan, create tension with the big box stores, and upset travelers trying to get to the many other Campbell businesses.