MISSION VIEJO : Planners to Weigh Mexican Restaurant

Plans for the second restaurant project to go before the Planning Commission this month will be up for approval today.

Developers want to see one of a chain of family eateries known as Chevys Mexican Restaurants built on an eight-acre site at Las Ramblas and Puerta Real, near Crown Valley Parkway.

The firm, which runs 34 restaurants in Northern California, opened two franchises in Orange County last year and plans to build another eight in South California, including Mission Viejo and two other county locations.

On Jan. 4, the commission approved a two-restaurant complex on Marguerite Parkway near La Paz Road. Negotiations for tenants are underway and the landowner, the Mission Viejo Co., said it expects to attract family restaurant chains to the site.

The Marguerite Parkway project was approved under heavy protest from neighboring residents who are concerned about traffic and safety issues. The residents said they will appeal the decision to the City Council and have until Tuesday to file paperwork with City Hall.

At the end of a commercial strip that includes a TJ Willies Mexican Restaurant and several retail stores, Chevys Mexican Restaurant is unlikely to attract the same kind of controversy, said city officials.

The eight-acre site was approved in 1990 for two restaurants and a 107,000-square-foot office building. Chevys Mexican Restaurant would be part of the first phase of construction for the project.