Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Commercial Development topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning commission approves 7 Brew coffee drive‑through site plan amid questions about blue roof and operations
Summary
The commission approved a 7 Brew drive-through site plan in a Parkside Drive parking lot infill. Commissioners discussed roof/canopy color (a branded light blue), modular construction, and operation flow; approval was unanimous.
The Farragut Municipal Planning Commission on Aug. 21 approved a site plan for a 7 Brew coffee drive-through to be located at 11495 Parkside Drive, an infill redevelopment within an existing shopping-center parking lot.
Town staff said the proposal removes about 33 parking spaces in the targeted lot, replaces the area with a roughly 522-square-foot modular building and reconfigures circulation to provide two primary order/serving lanes and a bypass lane. Staff also noted the project will add landscape area and reduce impervious surface in the affected lot compared with existing conditions.
Commissioners spent time on architectural details and operations. The architect, John Sexton of Black Design Architecture, brought material samples and described the proposed roof and canopy color as a muted light blue. Sexton said, “I have the actual samples of the materials with the true colors. I think the blue ... is more, of a, light blue.” Mike Gray, the franchisee and civil engineer for the project, described the service model: “They’re talking to you. They’re getting your order. That goes back inside to their systems. It's a walk outdoor situation, kinda like a Chick‑fil‑A.”
Staff said the building would be primarily brick (the applicant said excluding windows and doors it is “almost 100% brick”) with an LED strip light around the canopy (described as an accent, not a blinking sign). The commission discussed whether the blue roof is consistent with the town’s architectural guidance (the town’s palette addresses accent colors but not roof colors); staff recommended commissioners weigh the roof color relative to the guidance. The applicant provided samples and said the visible fascia will be the principal public-facing element; the sloped roof is more visible from adjacent parking areas than from public right-of-way.
Subject-to conditions noted by staff include submission of a complete final site plan set that consolidates civil and architectural sheets, corrected professional seals, landscape review by the Visual Resource Board, and a grading permit for the demolition/reconstruction work. The applicant said the modular building is factory-sealed and will be set on a foundation and finished on site.
The commission voted 7-0 to approve the site plan with the staff’s subject-to items. Commissioners asked the applicant to stay close to the material samples presented to the commission.
