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CUP Nos. 2009-03 and 2009-04 <br />Variance No. 2009-01 <br />March 9, 2009 <br />Page 5 <br />designed in order to prevent the stacking of vehicles onto Fairview Street <br />and MacArthur Boulevard. Additionally, Sonic utilizes a "bump-out" drive- <br />through system that allows patrons who have small orders to receive their <br />food, pay and then leave the drive-through lane before reaching the drive- <br />through window. This operational characteristic has been shown to <br />dramatically reduce the time vehicles spend in the drive-through lane <br />which will further decrease any impacts the drive-through might have with <br />on-site circulation. Finally, the aesthetic issues related to the drive- <br />through lane have been addressed by the installation of bermed landscaping <br />and a decorative hedge that will reduce the visual impact of the drive- <br />through lane to traffic traveling on Fairview Street and MacArthur <br />Boulevard. <br />Landscape Variance <br />The applicant is also requesting a variance to allow a reduction in side <br />yard landscaping on the site. Section 41-372 (b) of the Santa Ana <br />Municipal Code requires a landscaped area adjacent to a residential use be <br />not less than five feet while only one foot of landscaping is provided. <br />The property's location along two major arterial streets and adjacency to <br />two built-out properties has resulted in a site plan that is unable to <br />meet the side yard landscaping requirement established by the Municipal <br />Code without causing a deficiency in another aspect of the site. The site <br />has provided the required 15-foot landscape setbacks along MacArthur <br />Boulevard and Fairview Street as well as the required landscape planters <br />within the parking lot. Additional landscaping has also been provided in <br />a landscape island adjacent to the drive-through lane and landscape <br />planters in the outdoor seating area. The intent of the five-foot <br />landscape setback for side yards adjacent to residential properties is to <br />provide an aesthetically pleasing visual buffer for those properties from <br />the commercial uses. Although the adjacent residential property is <br />separated from the project site by an existing 20-foot alley, in order to <br />further improve the buffer, the applicant is being required to raise the <br />height of the wall separating the two properties from five to six feet and <br />plant decorative vines at eight-foot intervals to create an attractive <br />visual buffer between the parking lot and the residential property. <br />On February 25, 2009 a meeting was held with Thornton Park Neighborhood <br />Association to discuss the proposed project. Representatives from Sonic <br />presented the proposed site plan, landscape plan and elevations for the <br />project. Several questions were raised regarding the timeline for the <br />31 B-6 <br />