SIMI VALLEY : Complaints Lodged Against McDonald’s

A Simi Valley homeowner group has alleged that a new McDonald’s restaurant violated city planning rules by posting an illegal sign, staying open too late and failing to properly landscape a playground area.

At Monday’s City Council meeting, representatives of Citizens for a Safe and Scenic Simi Valley lodged the complaints about the restaurant, which opened recently on Yosemite Avenue, just north of the Simi Valley Freeway.

Council members instructed the city staff to investigate the group’s concerns, and a review was begun Tuesday, said Wolf Ascher, a deputy planning director.

Citizens for a Safe and Scenic Simi Valley was founded in 1991 by northeast Simi Valley residents who joined forces to oppose the plan to build the McDonald’s.

The residents argued that the restaurant would be a blemish against the hillsides and would bring noise, crime and traffic problems into their neighborhood. The project was approved by the Planning Commission, however, and the council, in a 2-2 deadlock, failed to overturn that decision.

The restaurant opened last week, touching off the new concerns about its sign, hours and landscaping.

The group also complained about a giant Ronald McDonald balloon that was placed atop the restaurant’s roof to call attention to its grand opening. But city officials said the restaurant had obtained a temporary permit for the balloon.

“It’s not our intent to harass, but it is our intent to ensure, for the sake of the adjacent neighborhood and the entire city, that McDonald’s complies with the conditions that the city imposed upon them,” said Melanie Wank, co-chairwoman of the homeowners’ group.

James R. Powell, owner of the new McDonald’s, said Tuesday that the giant balloon has been removed and that a sign company will soon take down the “Now Open” pole message that drew residents’ complaints.

Powell said the restaurant’s operating hours and playground landscaping have not violated the city’s building conditions. “I believe that we have been complying with the rules,” he said.