By Virginia Dean
The corporate headquarters of Starbucks in Chicago has confirmed that it will open a new location at 37-41 North Main Street in Rutland this spring.
The Development Review Board gave its nod in September 2018.
The store will feature a drive-thru and two retail stores including the Mexican restaurant Chipotle and another unknown retailer that, according to a subcontractor last weekend at the site, has yet to be determined.
Speculation about the third retailer, however, has included a hair salon or cell phone store, according to Planning and Zoning Administrator Tara Kelly.
Starbucks would be situated on the south end of the building, retail in the center, and Chipotle – with a drive-thru – on the northern end.
Property owner Jeff Turkanis of OceanGate Realty Advisors in Marblehead, Massachusetts, however, did not want to reveal any plans when requested via phone.
“We cannot comment on any information at this time,” said Turkanis.
OceanGate, which is a real estate investment firm with offices in Boston and New York City, also owns the adjacent CVS Pharmacy property. It purchased the original Royal Hearthside building for $650,000 in November 2018. As part of the sale, OceanGate acquired the development plans for Starbucks. The original plans also require an access easement with CVS.
On behalf of the property owners, Patrick Griffin of Enman Kesselring Consulting Engineers in Rutland filed an application with the town of Rutland for undisputed changes to the site plan to accommodate the retail shops and a 250-square foot patio seating area and additional dumpster space.
The amendments arose during construction and would accommodate the tenants and change some parking lot configuration.
The Development Review Board met in late September 2019 to go over the revised site plan.
Kelly said by phone last week that there have been no public objections to the changes.
“It’s very straightforward,” said Kelly. “The changes were minor and easily approved.”
Kelly related at the September meeting that a traffic study was done and was deemed sufficient for all expected retailers.
Kelly reviewed the study in detail and agreed that the requested site plan changes should cause less of a traffic impact since the retailers would be less intense than high turnover restaurants.
DRB Chair Mike McClallen noted that the traffic study was produced using the Institute of Traffic Engineers standards that are widely accepted nationwide.
Griffin related that the state’s Wastewater Permit had been issued for up to 50 seats per tenant based on use categories identified by the Zoning Ordinance versus the specific tenant since the tenant isn’t always known.
In its architectural review at the July 31, 2018 DRB meeting, Nicole Kesselring of Enman Engineering gave an overview of the proposed project.
The plan was to raze the former Royal Hearthside house and construct a 6,000 square foot building with 43 parking spaces and implement a robust landscaping plan. Access for the drive-thru would be on the north side and run parallel with US Route 7.
At that meeting, issues were raised about the fit of the proposed building design with the North Main Street of old Rutland that some members wanted reworked in order to be more compatible with historic architecture.
It was agreed that a design with roof shapes, fenestration and exterior materials should fit within the context of the rest of the district.
At the Aug. 29, 2018 DRB meeting, a redesign was presented. Board members agreed that it was an improvement to the estimated $3 million project.
