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Commission approves drive-through at west end of shopping plaza after prior permit expired
Summary
Rivercard LLC received planning commission approval for a drive-through in an existing 26,000-square-foot shopping plaza at the western end of the site; staff said a prior 2023 special-use approval expired because the business never opened within a year.
The planning commission approved a special-use permit for a drive-through facility proposed by Rivercard LLC at the western end of an existing retail shopping plaza, after staff recommended approval and an applicant representative answered brief questions.
Staff member 3, planning staff, presented zoning maps and a site description, saying the subject property is a 26,000-square-foot shopping plaza and that the petitioner proposes to lease a 2,400-square-foot space at the western end for a tea, coffee and drink shop with a drive-through. Staff reported that the petitioner previously received special-use approval for a drive-through at the same location in 2023 but the prior approval expired because the business never opened within one year. Staff said anticipated hours would be 7 a.m. to midnight, seven days a week, and estimated about 20 cars per day would use the drive-through.
During presentation there was a short, on-the-record exchange about the orientation of the drive-through: staff initially said the drive-through would be on the southern facade, asked for confirmation, and then confirmed the western facade. The applicant’s representative, Laurie Graham, spoke at the public hearing and said, "My name is Laurie Graham here on behalf of Rivercard LLC and Peter Carrero, 1 of the property owners. I'm just here to answer any additional questions if needed to help push this through." No members of the public spoke in opposition.
Commissioner 1 moved to approve case PD-25-04-S for the drive-through; after a voice vote the hearing chair declared the motion carried. The transcript does not include a roll-call vote or a named second. Staff materials cited PUD ordinance O 2123 as governing development and stated that the PUD permits drive-through facilities only upon receipt of special-use approval from the planning commission.
The record provided in the meeting lists the site addresses as "1989 and 199520 First Street Northwest" in staff materials; the transcript text reflects the address formatting used in the staff presentation.
