In addition to the definition provided in Section 21.200.050
of this code, “drive-through facilities” shall include restaurants, banking institutions with drive-up teller/ATM access, pharmacies, and other facilities with drive-through aisle service. Drive-through facilities shall be subject to the approval of a conditional use permit, and shall be developed/operated in the following manner:
1. Pedestrian walkways that intersect drive-through drive aisles shall provide clear pedestrian visibility, and they shall be emphasized by enriched paving, striping and signage.
2. Drive-through aisles shall have a minimum twelve-foot width and a minimum ten-foot interior radius at curves. Also, each entrance to an aisle and the direction of flow shall be clearly designated by signs/pavement marking(s) or raised curbs.
3. Drive-through aisles shall be constructed with (PCC) concrete, or other approved decorative material.
4. Drive-through aisles shall not obstruct on-site or off-site circulation.
5. The minimum number of vehicle stacking/queuing spaces in the drive-through aisle shall comply with the table below. A vehicle stacking/queuing analysis, as prepared by a qualified consultant, may be required by the city as part of a conditional use permit to determine the stacking/queuing spaces required in addition to the minimum.
Type of Drive-Through | Minimum Stacking/Queuing Spaces* | Measured From |
Type of Drive-Through | Minimum Stacking/Queuing Spaces* | Measured From |
Bank teller lane | 4 | Teller or window |
Automated teller lane | 4 | Teller |
Restaurant/café | 6 1 | Order box to pick-up window Before order box |
Pharmacy | 4 | Drop-off/pick-up window |
Dry cleaner | 4 | Drop-off/pick-up window |
Other | As determined by the community development director | |
*Stacking/queuing spaces shall measure 20 ft. each minimum | ||
6. Access to drive-through aisles shall be separated by at least ten feet from any other driveways (i.e., access driveways to parking lots, alleys, and the like).
7. Circulation to drive-through aisle entrances shall be designed so that any overflow stacking/queuing occurs on the subject site without impacting the public right-of way.
8. The provision of drive-through service facilities shall not justify a reduction in the number of required off-street parking spaces.
9. All service areas and ground-mounted and roof-mounted mechanical equipment shall be screened from public view.
10. Landscaping and a minimum three-foot-tall garden wall, along the outside edge of the drive-through aisle, shall be used to screen the drive-through aisle from any public right-of-way, and shall be used to minimize the visual impact of menu boards and/or directional signs. To reduce the impact on adjacent sensitive uses, the height of the garden wall shall be increased to four feet when the headlights of vehicles traveling through the drive-through aisle will be directed toward residential zones/uses.
11. Menu boards shall not exceed forty square feet in area, with a maximum height of six feet, and shall be screened from the public right-of-way, to the fullest extent possible.
12. Outdoor speakers shall be located a minimum of fifty feet from any residential zoning district/use; this distance may be reduced if the director of community development determines that sufficient noise and light impact mitigation measures are employed. Use of visual feedback systems that do not have a speaker are encouraged.
13. Pick-up windows, order areas, drive-through aisles, and any outdoor seating areas shall be oriented so as to minimize potential noise impacts to adjacent residential zoning districts/uses.
14. Drive-through facilities within an integrated shopping center shall have an architectural style consistent with the theme established in the center.
15. The architecture of drive-through facilities shall be compatible with surrounding uses in terms of form, materials, color, scale, and the like. Structure plans shall have variation in depth and angle to create variety and interest in its basic form and silhouette. Articulation of structure surface shall be encouraged through the use of openings and recesses that create texture and shadow patterns. Structure entrances shall be well articulated and project a formal entrance through variation of architectural plane, pavement surface treatment, and landscape plaza(s).
16. The premises shall be kept in a neat, clean and orderly condition at all times.
17. Restaurants with drive-through service shall not sell or serve alcohol.
19. A six-foot-high, solid decorative masonry wall shall be constructed on each property line that abuts a residential zoning district/use. The design of the wall and the proposed construction materials shall be subject to the approval of the planning division.
20. Drive-through establishments, including all sound equipment, must be operated in compliance with Section 21.70.080 (Noise and vibration) of the La Mirada Municipal Code.
(Ord. 723 § 5, 2022; Ord. 624 § 7, 2008).