Homeowner group fights proposed In-N-Out project, citing environmental impact

A Woodland Hills homeowners group is challenging the city of Los Angeles’ approval of a site for a new In-N-Out on Ventura Boulevard, saying the business’ potential negative environmental impact on their neighborhood has not been properly assessed.

The West Valley Alliance for Optimal Living petition asks a Los Angeles Superior Court judge to set aside the city’s approval of the project and put it on hold until the cumulative effects of traffic, noise and water quality are evaluated.

A representative for the City Attorney’s Office did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the petition brought Nov. 25.

The project site is within the Canoga Park-Winnetka-Woodland Hills-West Hills Community Plan, which the petition says is aimed at helping homeowners promote, preserve and rehabilitate local neighborhoods while balancing commercial interests.

The construction area includes a vacant former Bank of America building and consists of just under 40,000 square feet along Ventura Boulevard near Rigoletto and Del Valle streets and Fallbrook Avenue.

On Oct. 1, the City Council adopted the recommendations of the Planning and Land Use Management Committee and found that the project is exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act. But the homeowners group maintains the project does not qualify for a CEQA exemption.

“The record lacks substantial evidence that the project would not result in significant traffic impacts,” the petition states.

The petitioners submitted studies from In-N-Outs in Monrovia, Santa Rosa and San Juan Capistrano showing that the Woodland Hills development would generate multiple times the traffic claimed, according to the petition.

The petition also is critical of the project’s expected impacts on noise and water and air quality, according to the petition, which further states that the queuing area for the drive-thru is adjacent to and across the street from multifamily housing.