RELATED: Attracting retail, new business remains a challenge in Clark County
Springfield has Starbucks kiosks on the Wittenberg University campus and in the Courtyard by Marriott but not a standalone one. The Seattle-based chain has been looking at a possible standalone store in Springfield off and on for a long time, said Greg Gallas, an owner of the development firm.
“Springfield is one of those markets where Starbucks and other big national chains might overlook it,” Gallas said. “But the trade area is really good, there’s no competition for their particular product and there isn’t another Starbucks for miles in any direction. My personal opinion is they’ll kill it there.”
MORE: Housing, worker retention a challenge in Clark County, leaders say
The commercial lot would be purchased from Meijer and would have a separate parcel number if the project moves forward. The proposed store would be about 2,300 square feet with 32 parking spaces, a drive-through and a 300-square-foot outdoor patio, according to the documents submitted to Springfield’s planning and zoning division.
The proposed site would sit on about three-fourths of an acre of the roughly 25-acre Meijer site.
Developers could potentially close on the site by September and begin construction before the end of this year, Gallas said. It’s possible Starbucks could open the new location as early as next spring.
The parcel is currently zoned as a shopping center district so any major improvements must be approved first by the city’s planning board and then the city commission, said Stephen Thompson, Springfied’s planning, zoning and code administrator.
MORE BUSINESS NEWS: Champaign wind farm may move forward after nearly decade-long fight.
The city planning board is scheduled to meet Monday, July 10.
Advanced Civil Design, a construction firm based in Gahanna, Ohio, submitted the plans but declined to comment Thursday.
“As long as I’ve been working here, every so often I get calls about when Starbucks is coming,” Thompson said. “Here it is finally.”
About the Author