Planning commission grants conditional approval for drive‑through coffee stand at Cedar Crest Boulevard

The Allentown City Planning Commission on Sept. 16 granted conditional preliminary approval for a 7 Brew drive‑through coffee stand proposed at 385 South Cedar Crest Boulevard in the Cedar Point Shopping Center, subject to the applicant satisfactorily addressing city staff comments.

Planning staff described the submission as a new drive‑through building with a canopy, a cooler/storage structure, dumpster enclosure, site repaving, some pavement replaced with landscaping, exterior lighting and landscaping. The site plan proposes two drive‑through lanes designed to queue up to 25 vehicles and 12 parking spaces; the use is permitted in the B‑3 Highway Business District. Staff noted the proposal includes no indoor or outdoor seating and that it does not support multimodal transportation encouraged by the comprehensive plan.

Melissa Veloz, planning staff, flagged items the applicant must address before staff endorses the plan in final form: safe pedestrian access and clearer walk‑up routing to the building (the site is adjacent to a bus rapid transit stop), a bicycle rack, clarification on proposed exterior lighting beyond the two locations shown on the plans, mitigation for queue noise and idling vehicles, and garbage‑collection scheduling. Staff also asked the commission to consider sightlines and the proposed dumpster location in relation to the driveway intersection.

The applicant said the project will include lighting over trash collection locations and building lighting; the applicant also offered to include a bike rack and to add a marked crosswalk from the existing sidewalk and bus stop to the walk‑up counter area. The applicant said peak queueing observed at other sites typically reaches about 14 cars, not 25, after opening effects settle.

Public‑works and engineering reviewers raised questions about pavement‑marking colors, sight distance around the proposed dumpster enclosure and a point‑by‑point lighting plan; the applicant responded that pavement hatch colors are their standard and that point‑by‑point light calculations were included. Staff said on‑site pavement markings are acceptable to public works and suggested additional lighting could be added where the plan currently measures below one foot‑candle near the Cedar Crest entrance.

Commissioners said the site’s commercial context and multiple access points made the Cedar Crest location more suitable than a previous Lehigh Street application; several commissioners said conditional approval was appropriate provided the applicant addresses the staff report and city comment letters. A motion to grant conditional preliminary approval, conditioned on addressing all items in staff and review letters and adding plan notes to memorialize commitments (for pedestrian connectivity, lighting, dumpster evaluation and bicycle parking), was made and seconded. The commission voted in favor; the chair announced the motion carried.

Staff will review the applicant’s revisions and confirm that required items — including a signed LDA and any minor plan adjustments requested by public works — are addressed before final plan approval.

The commission also asked the applicant to consider internal crosswalk striping and signage to create a visually clear and safer route from the bus stop and adjacent shopping‑center circulation paths to the walk‑up counter.