7 days ago
Snooty town bans McDonald's from opening because locals want a better class of restaurant
An upscale Colorado town has managed to stop McDonald's from building a restaurant in their town - seemingly because locals considered it too tacky.
Locals in Castle Pines, in Douglas County, erupted in fury after plans by the fast food chain to open up a 3,671-square-foot two-lane drive thru emerged last year.
Tensions came to ahead in May 2024 when the council held a public meeting asking residents if they should allow the Golden Arches to open a franchise.
According to Business Den, that discussion descended into chaos with locals heard chanting 'No clown in our town!'.
The outlet reported that over one hundred people attended the meeting, and the decision to reject the McDonald's was upheld with a 5-2 vote.
Shortly after, the council was sued by developer CP Commercial, run by Ventana Capital, that owns the land where the McDonald's would have stood.
The firm said the council had used 'nebulous bases' in denying the build, including traffic and a lack of outdoor seating, to disguise the fact they just hated McDonald's.
Over a year later, Judge Stacy Guillon sided with the city and upheld their original decision.
In her findings, Judge Guillon said: 'Because the council had competent evidence to support denying the site improvement plan, the court affirms the council's decision.
'The law makes clear that this court is not to second guess whether the city council acted wisely or in its constituents' best interest.
'The court may reverse only if the city council had no competent evidence whatsoever to support the decision it made.'
She also rejected the argument by CP Commercial that because city code allowed for fast food, the council didn't have any basis to deny the plans.
By this thinking, she said that 'raucous nightclubs' might be allowed where 'mellow cocktail lounges' are.
CP Commercial said they were 'disappointed' in the decision, saying the council had caved to 'a minority of voices and their desire for a different brand of restaurant'.
According to the developer they are now weighing up a possible appeal against the ruling.
A statement continued: 'The city council should not be permitted to hide behind, as the court aptly noted, factors that are inherently subjective.
'The city's residents deserve not only the significant tax benefits that a McDonald's would bring but also additional restaurant choices.'
Douglas Gilbert, president of the Castle Pines North Homeowners Association No. 1, welcomed the move.
Gilbert had been a vocal opponent of the move to bring McDonald's to the area, telling the outlet it was too close to two schools and feared it would lead to trash.
He said: 'We feel vindicated in the sense that our city government has protected the property rights of quite a few homeowners who would have had to deal with the traffic, and protected the school children who also would have been impacted.'
City Manager Michael Penny added in a statement: 'The city is pleased that the District Court applied the appropriate deference to the City Council's judgment on this proposal.
'The city remains hopeful that future development along the Castle Pines Parkway corridor will develop in a way that best meets the needs of the community.
