For the Planning Commission Meeting of May 6, 2026
TO: Honorable Chairman and Planning Commissioners
APPROVAL: Christina Taylor, Community Development Director
FROM: Daniel Casey, Community Development Manager
Title
Conditional Development Permit No. 25-0008: A request to establish vehicular drive-thru service in conjunction with a proposed 4,210 square foot restaurant building on 1.94 acres of land (APN: 0130-051-51) located at the southwest corner of Foothill Boulevard and Acacia Avenue within the Foothill Mixed-Use Zone (FMUZ) land use district of the Foothill Central Specific Plan. This project is categorically exempt pursuant to Section 15303 (New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Precise Plan of Design No. 25-0015: A request to allow the development of a 4,210 square foot restaurant building with drive-thru service on 1.94 acres of land (APN: 0130-051-51) located at the southwest corner of Foothill Boulevard and Acacia Avenue within the Foothill Mixed-Use Zone (FMUZ) land use district of the Foothill Central Specific Plan. This project is categorically exempt pursuant to Section 15303 (New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures) of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).
Body
APPLICANT:
McDonald’s USA, LLC, 3800 Kilroy Airport, Suite 200, Long Beach, CA 90806
LOCATION:
The project site consists of one (1) parcel of land (APN: 0130-051-51) located at the southwest corner of Foothill Boulevard and Acacia Avenue (Refer to the attached Location Map (Exhibit A)).
BACKGROUND:
Surrounding General Plan Land Use Designations
|
Location |
General Plan Designation |
|
Site |
Specific Plan with a Specific Plan Overlay (Foothill Central SP) |
|
North |
Specific Plan with a Specific Plan Overlay (Foothill Central SP) |
|
East |
Specific Plan with a Specific Plan Overlay (Foothill Central SP) |
|
South |
Residential 6 |
|
West |
Specific Plan with a Specific Plan Overlay (Foothill Central SP) |
Surrounding Zoning Designations/Specific Plan Land Use Designations
|
Location |
Zoning |
|
Site |
Foothill Central Specific Plan (Foothill Mixed-Use Zone (FMUZ)) |
|
North |
Foothill Central Specific Plan (Foothill Mixed-Use Zone (FMUZ)) |
|
East |
Foothill Central Specific Plan (Foothill Mixed-Use Zone (FMUZ)) |
|
South |
Single-Family Residential (R-1C) |
|
West |
Foothill Central Specific Plan (Foothill Mixed-Use Zone (FMUZ)) |
Site Characteristics
The project site is a relatively flat, rectangular-shaped piece of land comprised of one (1) parcel approximately 1.94 acres in size with approximate dimensions of 265 feet (north-south) by 330 feet (east-west). The project site is bound on the north by an existing segment of Foothill Boulevard, on the east by an existing segment of Acacia Avenue, and on the south by an existing public alley. The property is developed with one (1) existing 25,868 square-foot commercial building, occupied by Black Friday Deals, one (1) existing 3,528 square-foot commercial building, occupied by Chuck’s Liquor, a parking lot, and sparse amounts of landscape planters.
Surrounding Area
To the north of the project site, across Foothill Boulevard, are various commercial developments including a multi-tenant commercial center, the El Rey motel, and a restaurant with drive-thru service. To the east, across Acacia Avenue, is the Acacia Plaza commercial center, occupied by tenants such as Stater Bros. Markets, Pep Boys, and Burger King. To the south, across the public alley, are several single-family residences, and to the west is an approximately 13,000 square foot multi-tenant commercial building occupied by Metropolitan Clinic and Angie’s Candyland.
ANALYSIS/DISCUSSION:
Project Proposal
McDonald’s USA, LLC (“Applicant”) proposes to demolish the existing 3,528 square foot commercial building on the project site and then construct a new 4,210 square foot McDonald’s restaurant building with drive-thru service in its place. Additional proposed improvements include paving, landscaping, lighting, and drainage improvements.
Entitlement Requirements
The following entitlements are required for the applicant’s proposal:
• Conditional Development Permit: The establishment of drive-thru service in conjunction with a restaurant use within the Foothill Mixed-Use Zone land use district requires Planning Commission approval of a Conditional Development Permit.
• Precise Plan of Design: The design of the development and the related site improvements (e.g. site design, building exterior, landscaping, etc.) requires Planning Commission approval of a Precise Plan of Design.
Site Design
As shown on the site plan (Exhibit B), the applicant proposes to construct a 4,210 square foot McDonald’s restaurant building near the northeast corner of the project site. The proposed layout includes a fifteen (15) foot deep landscape setback along the Foothill Boulevard frontage, a nine (9) to twenty-two (22) foot deep landscape setback along the Acacia Avenue frontage, passenger vehicle parking areas on the south and west sides of the building, an asphalt drive-aisle on the west side of the building, and landscape planters around the north, east, and south perimeter of the project site and throughout the parking areas. The drive-thru lane will wrap around the north, east, and south sides of the building and will provide stacking for approximately eleven (11) vehicles from the drive-thru entrance to the pick-up window.
The layout also includes a trellis cover over the drive-thru lane, a trash enclosure, concrete pathways, and landscape planters around the perimeter of the project site and throughout the parking areas.
Access
Two (2) existing driveways will provide access to the new McDonald’s restaurant - (1) an existing thirty-five (35) foot wide driveway near the east end of the Foothill Boulevard frontage and (2) an existing twenty (20) foot wide public alley driveway at the south end of the Acacia Avenue frontage. An existing driveway located in the center of the Acacia Avenue frontage will be removed and replaced with new curb, gutter, and sidewalk due to its incompatibility with the site layout.
Floor Plan
The floor plan (Exhibit C) indicates that the building is a single-tenant stand-alone restaurant building. The building features an articulated footprint on all four (4) sides of the building. The interior of the floor plan places the main entrance on the west side of the building, the dining/seating area in the northwest portion of the building and the kitchen/work area in the east portion of the building. The building will also include one (1) pay window, two (2) pick-up windows, a freezer/cooler, and restrooms.
Architectural Design
As shown on the elevations (Exhibit D), the applicant proposes a sleek modern architectural style characteristic of McDonald’s current theme. This includes the incorporation of projected masses, offset wall planes, height variations, stucco finishes, and cladded columns. The exterior height of the building will range from 21 feet up to 24 feet. Additional architectural features include metal eyebrows canopies, aluminum batten accents, reveals, wall signage, and earthtone colors.
Parking
The project site will have eighty-nine (89) passenger vehicle parking spaces, including seven (7) ADA accessible parking spaces. Pursuant to California Assembly Bill 2097 (AB 2097) and California Assembly Bill 2553 (AB 2553), the project site is exempt from meeting the City’s parking requirements contained within Chapter 18.58 (Off-Street Parking) of the Rialto Municipal Code. Per AB 2097, properties located within one-half mile of a “High-Quality Transit Corridor” are exempt from meeting a local jurisdiction’s minimum parking requirements. AB 2553 expanded “High-Quality Transit Corridor” to include bus routes with service intervals of 20 minutes or less. As shown in the attached Omnitrans Routes & Schedules flyer (Exhibit E), Omnitrans Route 14 runs along Foothill Boulevard directly in front of the project site, and Route 14 maintains a service interval between 15 and 20 minutes every day of the week, thereby exempting the project from any minimum parking requirement.
Landscaping
The landscape coverage will be 10.7 percent for the entire project site and 20.7 percent for McDonald’s lease area, both which exceed the minimum required amount of 10.0 percent. This includes a fifteen (15) foot landscape setback along Foothill Boulevard, a nine (9) to twenty-two (22) foot landscape setback along Acacia Avenue, as well as planters throughout the parking areas. All the landscape planters will feature a variety of trees spaced every thirty (30) linear feet and an abundant number of shrubs and groundcover (Exhibit F).
Traffic
Kimley-Horn and Associates, Inc. prepared a Traffic Impact Analysis (TIA), dated March 2026, to assess the project’s potential impacts to local streets and intersections, as well as vehicle miles travelled (Exhibit G). The TIA estimates that the project will generate approximately 896 new actual daily vehicle trips with 70 new trips in the AM peak hour and 60 new trips in the PM peak hour. The TIA concluded that the project would generate an insignificant amount of traffic, and all nearby intersections and roadway segments will continue to operate at their current Level of Service (LOS) with the project.
Land Use Compatibility
The project and its design are consistent with the Foothill Mixed-Use Zone (FMUZ) land use district of the Foothill Central Specific Plan and the Design Guidelines contained within Chapter 18.61 of the Rialto Municipal Code. The nearest sensitive uses are the existing single-family residences approximately 30 feet to south of the project site. An existing public alley separates the residences from the project and landscape buffering will be installed to ensure that the project does not negatively impact the existing residences. The project will provide a benefit to the community and an improvement to the surrounding area.
GENERAL PLAN CONSISTENCY:
The General Plan land use designation of the site is Specific Plan with a Specific Plan Overlay. This designation requires the underlying Specific Plan to establish distinct land use designations within the Specific Plan itself. Figure 5-4 (Foothill Central Area Land Use Districts) of the Foothill Central Specific Plan indicates that the land use designation for the project site is Foothill Mixed-Use Zone (FMUZ). According to Table 5-1 (Permitted Uses) of the Foothill Central Specific Plan, restaurants with drive-thru facilities, such as the project, are consistent with the FMUZ designation. Furthermore, the project is consistent with the following goals of the Land Use Element and Economic Development Element of the Rialto General Plan:
Goal 2-16: Improve the architectural and design quality of development in Rialto.
Goal 2-22: Promote commercial and/or industrial development that is well designed, people-oriented, environmentally sustainable, sensitive to the needs of the visitor or resident, and functionally efficient for its purpose.
Goal 3-1: Strengthen and diversify the economic base and employment opportunities, and maintain a positive business climate.
ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT:
California Environmental Quality Act
The project is categorically exempt from the requirements of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) pursuant to Section 15303, New Construction or Conversion of Small Structures. Class 3 allows for the exemption of a project consisting of the construction of commercial structures not exceeding 10,000 square feet in floor area. The project involves the construction of a 4,210 square foot commercial structure, thereby qualifying the project for a Class 3 exemption. A completed Notice of Exemption form is attached to agenda report (Exhibit H).
PUBLIC NOTICE:
The City published a public hearing notice for proposed project in the San Bernardino Sun newspaper, posted copies of the public hearing notice outside the Council Chambers, and mailed public hearing notices to all property owners within 660 feet of the project site, as required by State law.
RECOMMENDATION:
The Planning Division recommends that the Planning Commission:
1. Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit I) to approve Conditional Development Permit No. 25-0008, based upon the findings and subject to the conditions therein; and
2. Adopt the attached Resolution (Exhibit J) to approve Precise Plan of Design No. 2025-0015, based upon the findings and subject to the conditions therein.