URBANA — A new coffee shop planned for the southeast corner of Green Street and Lincoln Avenue is facing a potential hurdle.
While the Urbana Zoning Board of Appeals has approved a conditional-use permit to allow a Dutch Bros. coffee shop in the Neighborhood Business zoning district, the Plan Commission had some concerns about the proposal.
The commission is recommending that the city council deny the applicant’s request for a special-use permit allowing a drive-thru for the business, which is planned for 809 W. Green St.
“The traffic of the site plan is completely non-workable,” said commission member Lew Hopkins, who made the motion during the group’s Thursday meeting.
Urbana Principal City Planner Kevin Garcia said the council will discuss the matter at its Feb. 3 Committee of the Whole session.
The site plan for the 0.6-acre lot includes a 950-square-foot building on the north side of the site, and a single access drive off of Green Street near the property’s northeast corner.
There are then two drive-thru lanes that feed into a single drive-up window, along with parking along the east edge of the site.
While planning staff recommended approval of the special-use permit, commission members expressed concerns about potential traffic issues both within the site and along Green Street as vehicles entered and exited. There were also doubts as to whether a drive-thru was appropriate for this location and aligned with the city’s goals for the area.
As for the Zoning Board of Appeals, the group’s approval of the conditional-use permit included a number of conditions, which stated that the applicant must:
- Adhere to the submitted site plan.
- Build no more than 16 vehicle parking spaces.
- Provide at least six spaces for bicycle parking.
- Provide a landscaping plan prior to construction.
Additionally, board member Charles Warmbrunn concluded the list by stating, “We strongly recommend that there be outdoor seating and restrooms made available to customers in the final plans.”
Garcia explained that while he had written in the staff memo that the applicant said they would provide both of these things, this was incorrect.
“The applicant is a developer, Rockford Structures, and they’re working with Dutch Bros.,” he told the commission. “So Dutch Bros. hasn’t actually committed to outdoor seating and having bathrooms available to folks.”
The proposed shop on Green Street would offer walk-up and drive-thru service, Garcia said.
According to the company’s LinkedIn profile, Dutch Bros. has over 900 locations across 18 states.
When asked for comment about this particular location, the chain’s public relations department replied, “We’re in the very early stages, so we don’t have anything to share at this time.”