Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Springfield Council says no to drive-through at proposed 7 Brew Coffee site

A map generated by the City of Springfield development review staff shows the proposed location for a 7 Brew Coffee at Sunshine Street and Jefferson Avenue. Yellow areas are residential, red areas are high-intensity business, and blue areas are community-public land uses.
City of Springfield
A map generated by the City of Springfield development review staff shows the proposed location for a 7 Brew Coffee at Sunshine Street and Jefferson Avenue. Yellow areas are residential, red areas are high-intensity business, and blue areas are community-public land uses.

At their Monday-night meeting, Springfield City Council voted 8 to 1 against a permit to allow a three-lane drive-through coffee shop near Sunshine Elementary School.

Developer Royce Reding’s plan for a 7 Brew Coffee at the corner of Sunshine and Jefferson was previously rejected twice by the city planning & zoning commission.

Council members talked over their options extensively before voting on two bills that would have let the project go forward as proposed. Zone 2 Councilman Abe McGull said he thinks nearby neighborhood residents might accept less intense business activity on the vacant property.

"The sentiments I’ve gathered from the residents in that area, they have no opposition to a limited business; the opposition is to the drive-through,” he said.

Council voted 7 to 2 to approve rezoning for “limited business” use, but the drive-through permit failed.

On Monday night, it wasn’t clear what kind of development could emerge at the one-acre strip of land across from Sunshine Elementary.

Gregory Holman is a KSMU reporter and editor focusing on public affairs.