McDonald's Closes for Total Remodel

The McDonald's restaurant at 20932 Devonshire St. closed this past weekend in preparation for what may be three-to-six months of demolition and rebuilding.

The 40-year-old structure will be replaced by a larger building featuring a tower with a stone facade, a mission-style roof and large arched windows. [See an artist's rendering in the box on the right.]

There will be a double drive-through so traffic no longer backs up onto Devonshire Street.

Mel J. Cruz, an area construction manager with Long Beach-based McDonald’s USA, said the added drive-through would allow better traffic flow onto the property and speed up service to customers. “It’s a proven process at other locations when real estate allows,” Cruz said.

There will also be more interior seating, but there are no plans to bring back the children's ball pit and play area.

Residents from the neighboring Sierra Villas townhomes complained at an April planning department hearing that the dual lanes would create additional noise.  They asked for a 10-foot sound wall to be built, but that height is greater than the 8-feet that city ordinances allow.

The approved the remodel in November 2009. It’s taken this long to get through bureaucratic red tape and move forward with the project, a McDonald’s spokesman said. The office of former Councilman Greig Smith also supported the plan.

The restaurant sought the ability to run a 24-hour operation, however, Cruz said at the April hearing that the company has no current plans to do that but wanted to have the option for the future. Several years ago they were open around the clock but found there was not enough business, Cruz said.

Neighbors complained about the outdoor intercom speaker system, which they claim blares so loud they can hear it inside their homes. Cruz said the new speakers would be aimed differently and employees would be instructed to keep the volume low.

And neighbors complained about the trash corral, which McDonald's agreed to move farther from their homes to near the middle of the property.

When the Chatsworth Neighborhood Council gave its approval to the expansion in 2009 it noted concerns about traffic and the neighbors’ complaints about noise. Restaurant representatives met with the Council’s land use committee several times to discuss the design and architecture as well as traffic patterns.

The nearest McDonald's in Chatsworth is at 9185 De Soto Ave.

-- Marianne Love contributed to this report.