Waterloo Times

The Waterloo City Council met on April 3 where they approved the first reading of an ordinance involving a site plan amendment in the shopping district north of 115 East Ridgeway Avenue so developers can build a 2,200 square foot building for a new Starbucks.

The project is being done by Levi Architecture on behalf of Starbucks. The council began with a public hearing and most citizen concerns pertained to traffic and the impact it would have on the area. There is already a high level of traffic in the district, and Starbucks is known for having long lines and being busy. Other concerns were related to parking.

“So, I echo my colleague's concerns about parking I do have some concerns about oversaturation in the fact that I think that, of course, there are coffee connoisseurs who have their specialty brands and the specialty things that they buy,” said council member Jonathon Grieder. “But I also think that there's a convenience factor. I guess I would just have two things that I would ask. West High is very near there. I would just ask that there's communication with the school district because we do have a closed campus. And with those types of things coming up, it may tempt some of our students to leave. And so, just letting the district and building admin just know when it's going to open so that we can be aware. The other thing is, there are there are a lot of coffee shops there, a lot of coffee shops in my ward.”

The council members expressed interest in making sure that small businesses are not threatened by a chain shop like Starbucks. There are also issues with traffic at other Starbucks locations in the city.

After extended discussion among the board members, the council approved the first reading but did not make final approvals. They will revisit the ordinance with a second and third reading at future meetings to allow them to gather public input and information about traffic, as well as business impacts.