Chardon Starbucks plan gets approval

Altered concept plan puts main access point on Center Street

A Chardon Starbucks proposal received final approval from the city Planning Commission this week.

The re-oriented concept plan was passed 6-1 and several variances got unanimous support.

The project, on vacant land at 255 Center St. and Cherry Avenue, has been hashed out for months, mainly over the direction that the building — and the drivethrough — would face. The main access point also was at issue because of traffic concerns.

“The big note here is, with rotating the building 90 degrees, it would be switching the full access point from Cherry Avenue to Center Street,” Chardon Community Development Administrator Steve Yaney said, adding that the decision was made in consultation with the city’s traffic engineer.

“That would immediately get the traffic from the drive-through out onto Center Street instead of forcing it back to Cherry Avenue, which (with that) a lot of cars would be making rights and then lefts into a turn lane that’s already somewhat congested parts of the day.”

The change includes restricting access on Cherry to right-in, right-out only.

The commission had deadlocked Dec. 7 — with a member absent — on a design that placed the main drivethrough features facing Center Street. Some commission members didn’t like the idea of viewing the drivethrough window from a major thoroughfare, though that layout would have required fewer variances.

On Dec. 21, developer Greg Sommers returned with a new proposal incorporating commission comments into a concept with the drive-through facing east toward vacant lots and Washington Post Plaza.

This version required encroaching into the public right-of-way along Center Street. City Council recently approved an agreement with Sommers Development Group to allow installation of a driveway, parking stall and landscaping in the right-of-way.

Commission member Colin Wantz voted against the new concept.

“Although I find that this plan functions just as well as the previous one — especially with (the engineer’s) addressing of southbound traffic on Cherry Street with my concern of stacking — I still am not favorable of going into the right-of-way,” he said.

Commission Chairman Andrew K. Blackley noted the large right-of-way in this area.

“I think this corridor will look consistent in the future,” he said. The following variances were OK’d: • Reducing the setback for the trash receptacle from 10 feet to 2 feet (east) and 2.99 feet (south) • Reducing the parking setback from 10 feet to 2.99 feet (south)

• Reducing the setback for an outdoor dining patio from 30 feet to 18.5 feet along Center Street

• Waiving the parking setback along Center Street

• Reducing the number of parking spaces from 22 to 20

• Reducing the landscape strip from 5 feet to 2.99 feet along the south property line

In addition, the applicant requested a sign deviation from city code to reduce the setback along Center Street from 10 feet to zero.

“There are a lot of extenuating circumstances on this property with the public right-of-way and making sure that the building fits properly, and trying to make the drive-through work in the most efficient manner without backing up traffic into the street,” Yaney said.