Hearing examiner reviews proposed drive‑through coffee shop at Queensgate and Keene in Richland

The City of Richland hearing examiner on Tuesday heard staff and applicant presentations and one public comment on a special use permit application for a proposed drive‑through coffee stand at the northwest corner of Queensgate Drive and Keene Road.

City planner Kyle Hendricks told the hearing examiner the proposal locates an approximately 800‑square‑foot coffee building near the southeast corner of the lot and shows a single drive‑through lane sized for about 10 vehicles. Hendricks said the site sits in the C1 zone while adjacent parcels are generally zoned C3 and noted portions of the frontage and much of the proposed landscaping lie within city right‑of‑way linked to a possible future road widening. He recommended approval with the conditions included in the staff report.

Applicant representative Shane O'Neil said the application includes a proposed raised crosswalk, signage and a pathway connection to the Keene Road trail. O'Neil said he filed a landscape adjustment for frontage landscaping that lies in the city right‑of‑way and that he supplied supplemental plans to staff after the initial report was issued. "I filed a landscape adjustment application respective to Queensgate and Keene frontages," O'Neil said. "We provided [the trail connection materials] via email."

A nearby resident, Cathy Long, urged the examiner and staff to ensure measures are in place to prevent conflicts between vehicles and trail users. Long described a family member's serious bicycle crash at a turning vehicle and said many commuters and residents use the trail: "They'll love a bathroom, and it goes on. Concerning is how that bicycle traffic is. We have a very healthy group of people here in Richland and West Richland," she said.

Planning manager Mike Stevens, speaking under oath, said similar signs and crossing treatments have been placed elsewhere along the Keene Road trail and that Public Works and Parks would likely coordinate comparable signage if the permit is approved. Stevens said final plat changes for the larger development must be recorded before the new internal road becomes active; he could not give a firm date but said the developer-controlled plat revisions could be returned to the city in days to a few weeks.

Hendricks and O'Neil told the examiner that most site access is expected to be from Keene Road and that a long‑term configuration anticipated right‑in/right‑out driveways after nearby intersection and divider work is completed. Staff also noted an inadvertent discovery plan had been submitted with the application and that agency reviewers, including Public Works, raised no objections to the proposal but did identify items to address in conditions.

The hearing examiner said landscaping between the drive‑through and Keene Trail is a safety enhancement and asked that landscaping compliance be handled through the Planning Manager rather than returning to the hearing examiner for minor adjustments. He accepted supplemental exhibits submitted after the staff report and left the record open for additional PDF materials through close of business the following day. He said he would aim to issue his written decision on the application by the end of the month.

No formal vote or final decision was made at the hearing; the examiner closed the public comment portion after Ms. Long and moved the record toward a written decision.

Votes at this hearing: none (public hearings only; decisions pending written findings).