McDonald’s to Be Razed, Rebuilt

A popular McDonald’s restaurant in Glendale will succumb to the bulldozers next month to make way for a bigger McDonald’s to be built as the world’s first drive-through, fast-food restaurant in a high-rise building.

The Glendale Redevelopment Agency granted final approval Tuesday to the Howard-Platz Group of Glendale to build a $30-million, nine-story office building and theater complex at 500 N. Central Ave., the site of one of the most successful franchises in the fast-food chain.

A new one will be built on the ground floor of the office building, expected to be completed in late spring of 1991, city officials said.

A drive-through lane with room for 20 or more cars to wait will be built into a multilevel garage behind the office building and restaurant at Milford Street and Central.

The garage also will serve a three-story, 1,600-seat multi-screen theater complex to be built at the other end of the project at Milford and Orange Street.

Representatives of McDonald’s Corp. said when the project was revealed two years ago that the concept of a drive-through, fast-food outlet in a high rise may set the trend for future development in other rapidly growing urban areas.

Agency Chairman Larry Zarian cast the only vote against the project, saying it could increase traffic at the intersection, one of the most congested in the city.

The city has imposed conditions on the developer such as widening lanes and restricting left turns to reduce potential traffic tie-ups.