Developer looks to bring Starbucks to West Rome
A group in Birmingham, Alabama, has purchased the former Hardee’s restaurant at 2300 Shorter Ave. and is seeking to develop a new Starbucks coffee shop on the site.
The Alabama group, Rome SR CGP, acquired the property from the Franklin, Tennessee-based Hardee’s Restaurants LLC group back in December for $618,000.
An interesting aspect to the sale was that the buyer is prohibited from developing a similar fast food restaurant which could be considered a competitor to Hardee’s.
The group has submitted a variance request to the Board of Adjustments to a reduction of a required 20-foot landscaped strip along the Tamassee Lane frontage. They are seeking to keep an existing 6.5 foot strip which was developed before the Unified Land Development Code for Rome and Floyd County was adopted.
The site plan for the new Starbucks indicates the building would be located perpendicular to Shorter Avenue with an entry curb cut on the Sam’s Club side of the shop and exit on the Lowe’s side.
The main entrance to the shop would also be on the Sam’s Club side of the building with the drive- through window on the west side.
Rome currently has a stand- alone Starbucks in the Riverwalk shopping center at Turner Mccall Boulevard and Riverside Parkway.
Starbucks coffee can also by found in both the Barnes & Noble Booksellers and Kroger stores in the Riverbend shopping center on Turner Mccall Boulevard.
The new Starbucks building would be very similar in design to the shop in the Riverwalk center.
The board will also consider a request from Dollar General to reduce the amount of required parking spaces for a proposed new store at the intersection of Rogers Drive and Redmond Circle from 63 to 35.
The 1.5 acre parcel, just to the west of the State Mutual Insurance Building has been vacant for years. Part of the arrangements related to the deal includes a stipulation from State Mutual, the current property
owner, that the only variance be relative to the number of parking space.
Dollar General has multiple locations in Rome and Floyd County including a store at 1804 Redmond Circle, less than a quarter of a mile to the west of the proposed new location.
The board will meet September 17 at 2:30 p.m. in the Sam King Room at Rome City Hall.