New Starbucks is coming to a major Bradenton intersection. Will traffic be a problem?
A new Starbucks coffee shop is coming to West Bradenton, but city officials are worried about the traffic it may bring.
The Bradenton City Council voted Wednesday to approve the permit for a 2,500-square-foot Starbucks on the southeast corner of Manatee Avenue and 75th Street West. An opening date has not been announced.
According to city staff, Starbucks will demolish the vacant SunTrust Bank building on that corner to build the coffeehouse. The store will feature indoor seating, patio seating and a drive-thru.
Seattle-based Starbucks sells coffee, tea sandwiches and baked goods. There are 17 Starbucks locations in Manatee County.
After Albertsons and Kmart shuttered along both sides of Manatee Avenue, the two shopping centers failed to attract new tenants for several years. But recently, businesses have taken a new interest in the area.
“This area is starting to see a renaissance with development,” said Greg DeLong, Bradenton’s assistant director of the Planning and Community Development Department.
In addition to Starbucks, a Target store and a Manatee Memorial Hospital free-standing emergency room are under construction near the major intersection.
New Starbucks creates traffic concerns
Before voting in favor of the project, council members expressed concern about the traffic the planned Starbucks may generate. Councilwoman Jayne Kocher noted that the site plan would not allow customers to turn south onto 75th Street West, potentially causing traffic backups or forcing customers to cut through the Village Green neighborhood.
Councilwoman Marianne Barnebey echoed those concerns and urged Starbucks to consider a building design that allows additional cars to stack in the drive-thru lane.
“I’m not opposed to Starbucks being there, but maybe they need to take a page out of Chick-fil-A’s playbook and look at some additional stacking. We know the problems we have at Manatee (Avenue) and U.S. 301,” Barnebey said, referring to another local Starbucks.
DeLong said the city’s Public Works Department will review the traffic impact at a later stage in the approval process. Council members voted 4-0 to approve a special use permit for Starbucks. Councilman Josh Cramer was absent and didn’t cast a vote.
A media contact for Starbucks didn’t respond to the Bradenton Herald’s request for comment on Wednesday.
