TUSTIN

The City Council approved plans Monday to demolish a former Wells Fargo Bank building to make way for a 4,400-square-foot Burger King restaurant and play area.

Despite a two-hour debate that included opposition from residents of nearby Tustin Greens, who have argued since July that the fast-food establishment’s drive-thru would prove too loud to maintain their quality of life, the council voted 3 to 2 in favor of the plans.

In September, the council proposed a revised site plan, which put the restaurant farther from homes and improved the sound walls between the drive-thru and complex. One 6-foot-high sound wall will be erected along the drive-thru, while another, alongside the complex, will be raised to 6 feet, 8 inches.

Councilman Jim Potts, who cast one of the dissenting votes, suggested the applicant install double-paned windows in residences nearest the project. Councilman Mike Doyle cast the other opposing vote, citing what he called the failure of center’s property owner to invest money in it.

Mayor Tom Saltarelli said the center, a blighted site in south Tustin, could further deteriorate without investments such as Burger King’s.