--- title: "Commerce, Calif., Rents Two City Lots to In-N-Out for Its Opening Rush: $26,000 for Six Months" description: In-N-Out Burger is set to open in Commerce, CA, with overflow parking and drive-through plans in place to manage expected crowds. image: https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/66525ec138843cc1ccb1c325/68c301ebaa36be33aa2af8f7_1a3f16114a452999cc4d7d6b36ae1602_Obedio%20march%20of%20progress.png --- [Skip to content](https://hs.getobedio.com/blog/commerce-calif.-rents-two-city-lots-to-in-n-out-for-its-opening-rush-26000-for-six-months#main-content) [![Obedio logo with black text and an orange graphic composed of four circles and a diagonal arrow pointing up and right.](https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/66525ec138843cc1ccb1c325/66529844eddaa630d6da1b42_obedio%20gold%20for%20white%20background.png)](https://getobedio.com) [Team](https://www.getobedio.com/team) [Pricing](https://www.getobedio.com/pricing) [Contact](https://www.getobedio.com/demo) [Blog](https://www.getobedio.com/blog) [Login](https://obed.io/v4/login) California Local Municipalities Development Data # Commerce, Calif., Rents Two City Lots to In-N-Out for Its Opening Rush: $26,000 for Six Months ![Obedio research](https://7528315.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hub/7528315/hubfs/raw_assets/public/mV0_d-cms-elevate-theme_hubspot/elevate/images/avatar-placeholder.jpg?width=48&height=48&name=avatar-placeholder.jpg) Obedio research November 12, 2026 A new In-N-Out Burger in the City of Commerce, California, is getting ready to open in mid-November 2026. To keep its expected crowds off nearby streets, the city has licensed two of its own empty lots to the company for overflow parking and drive-through lines. City Manager Ernie Hernandez signed the license agreement on Oct. 29, 2026. A staff report on the City Council's Nov. 10, 2026 meeting asked the council to ratify it, meaning give formal approval to a deal the city manager had already signed. The report does not record the council's vote. The restaurant is at 6232 Craig Lane, near Washington Boulevard and Telegraph Road. The two lots sit across the newly built Craig Lane from it. Both are part of what the city calls the "Wash-Tel site," about 10 acres that have been split into five development sites. ## At a Glance **City:** Commerce, Los Angeles County, California **Licensee:** In-N-Out Burgers **Land:** Two city-owned lots, APNs 6336-010-922 and 6336-010-927 **Term:** Oct. 28, 2026 through April 30, 2027 (six months) **Fee:** $26,000, paid once, to the city's General Fund **Hours:** 8 a.m. to 2:30 a.m. the next day **Council action:** Ratification on the Nov. 10, 2026 meeting; agreement already signed Oct. 29 ## Why the City Stepped In The staff report points to "an anticipated high number of customers during the initial opening period of the restaurant." The goal, it says, is to "reduce queuing impacts on Craig Lane, Washington Boulevard, and Telegraph Road." The license lets In-N-Out use the lots for: - Overflow customer parking - Off-site drive-through lines, including cars stacked while they wait - Employee parking - Traffic control staff from an outside company - Temporary storage containers for traffic control equipment The report does not give a number of parking spaces or a length for the drive-through line. ## What Goes on the Lots Only part of the two lots will be used. In-N-Out will lay down recycled road base to keep dust down. It may also add temporary lighting, signs and traffic control devices. The road base will stay after the license ends. The report says it will help limit dust until the lots are developed. ## The Traffic Plan In-N-Out submitted a Traffic Contingency Plan. The City Traffic Engineer approved it with conditions on Oct. 6, 2026, more than three weeks before the license was signed. The report sums up those conditions as requiring proper signs, lighting at night, and calling Sheriff's and Public Safety staff if drivers block traffic. The plan and its conditions are attachments to the staff report. ## Money and Environmental Review The $26,000 goes into the city's General Fund. The report says the deal needs no new spending and creates no ongoing revenue promise. Staff time is covered by existing budgets. The city found the license exempt from the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), the state's environmental review law. It used the "common sense" exemption in CEQA Guidelines Section 15061(b)(3). The report says the license approves no physical development and that none of the exceptions in Section 15300.2 apply. Staff tied the deal to Guiding Principle 4 of the city's Strategic Action Plan, which focuses on economic development that brings local jobs, revenue and business demand. ## Another Drive-Through at the Same Corner In-N-Out is not the first fast-food chain the city has reviewed at this intersection. In January 2024, the City of Commerce filed a CEQA exemption notice for the Chick-fil-A Washington & Telegraph Project. State records describe a 3,822-square-foot restaurant with a dual drive-through lane and 49 parking spaces on 1.09 acres (APN 6336-010-908). That notice does not mention the Wash-Tel site by name. ## Who Prepared the Report Jessica Serrano, Director of Community Development, prepared the report. Alvaro Castellon, Director of Finance, reviewed it. City Attorney Noel Tapia approved it as to form, and City Manager Ernie Hernandez submitted it. The council's choices were to approve, reject, or give staff more direction. ## Why It Matters for Site Selectors and Developers Drive-through openings can spill onto public streets. Here the city handled that with a short-term license on its own land, a one-time fee, and a traffic plan approved before opening. The deal was signed by the city manager first and brought to the council afterward. The two licensed lots are city-owned and part of a roughly 10-acre site near a busy intersection that has been divided into five development sites. The report says the lots are waiting to be developed. The report does not say who will develop them or when. ## What to Watch - **The council's Nov. 10 action:** Whether the ratification was approved as recommended. - **Opening day:** The restaurant was set to open in mid-November 2026. - **April 30, 2027:** The license ends. The staff report does not mention an extension. - **The rest of the Wash-Tel site:** Future sale, lease or development of the remaining lots. 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