Starbucks in Indialantic, West Melbourne may move to larger stores with drive-thru windows

INDIALANTIC — The Space Coast's first Starbucks may move a few blocks up State Road A1A from today's undersized beachfront location — if the Indialantic Town Council allows, that is.

Starbucks officials want to build a larger Indialantic store with a drive-thru at the former SunTrust bank branch site, between First and Michigan avenues next to Aquarian Dreams.

However, Indialantic town code prohibits adding new drive-thru restaurants that are within 2,000 feet of an existing drive-thru restaurant. Wendy's is located at SR A1A and Sixth Avenue, about 1,300 feet from the proposed site.

The Indialantic Town Council discussed Starbucks and the drive-thru zoning code during its March 13 meeting. Town Hall staffers will research the topic, then present options to council members on April 16, Town Manager Christopher Chinault said.

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The Town Council last discussed drive-thrus in May 2014 after Dunkin' Donuts officials expressed interest in building a SR A1A store between Second and Third avenues. Council members said no and upheld the 2,000-foot restriction, citing "the negative impact this type of business could have on residential areas," meeting minutes show.

Dunkin' Donuts later built a SR A1A store north of Indialantic town limits at the Seaside Centre shopping plaza, next to the former Pizza Hut. ABC Fine Wine & Spirits built a store on the Indialantic lot between Second and Third avenues.

Hurricane Irma's rain bands spawned an EF-1 tornado that wrecked the SunTrust building — along with the still-shuttered Beach House Motel across SR A1A — in September 2017. The SunTrust branch was razed in January, and the 0.9-acre property is now a vacant lot.

In a January email and February letter, Michael Paparella, Starbucks' Florida senior store development manager, asked Town Council to approve the proposed store. He stated Wendy's serves "a completely different customer need of primarily fast food hamburgers," and SunTrust operated four drive-thru lanes.

Paparella described the Indialantic Starbucks at 2 Fifth Ave. as "a cool little beach store," but it is physically constrained — and he has a special affinity for the store because it was Brevard County's first.

"If you are a patron of that store you may be familiar with the small size of the café, parking difficulties, and lack of a drive-through window," Paparella wrote.

"The physical location no longer meets Starbucks brand standards for either crafting beverages, or for providing desired customer café experience," he wrote.

Paparella also stated he is in the early process of moving the West Melbourne Starbucks on U.S. 192 by the Melbourne Square mall into a new, larger building. That store also lacks a drive-thru.

In January, Starbucks opened a Suntree store off Wickham Road at the Pineda Landings shopping center, which is anchored by Fresh Market. Paparella stated this 2,500-square-foot building has the same dimensions as the proposed Indialantic store, but the beachside version may get an integrated covered patio seating area.

Neale is the South Brevard watchdog reporter at FLORIDA TODAY.

Contact Neale at 321-242-3638

or rneale@floridatoday.com.

Twitter: @RickNeale1

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