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Board of Zoning Appeals Recommends Favorable Action for Solstice Coffee Drive‑Through at 8126 Wicker Avenue
Summary
On Dec. 3, 2025, the St John Town Board of Zoning Appeals voted 4‑0 to recommend the town council approve a special exception allowing Solstice Coffee to add a single‑lane drive‑through at 8126 Wicker Avenue in the US 41 Overlay District; staff noted one state plan change requiring an additional restroom fixture.
On Dec. 3, 2025, the St John Town Board of Zoning Appeals voted 4‑0 to send a favorable recommendation to the town council for a special exception that would allow Solstice Coffee (also referred to in materials as Solstice Cafe) to operate a single‑lane drive‑through at 8126 Wicker Avenue in the US 41 Overlay District.
The board heard from Attorney Adam Swarden, the applicant's agent, who said the business is an existing cafe and the proposal focuses on circulation changes, restriping and adding a drive‑through. "Attorney Adam Swarden, Swarden Law, PC here with my client, Mr. Gutierrez," he told the board, and described the design revisions made after engineering review. Planning staff explained that restaurant use is allowed in the C‑2 zoning but a drive‑through specifically requires a special exception in the US 41 Overlay District.
Why it matters: the drive‑through requires explicit board and council approval because overlay rules limit drive‑throughs in the district; approval would allow the existing cafe to add the service while the council considers the formal exception. Planning staff also reported the state review returned one required change: an additional toilet facility for the first‑floor public space, which the applicant said can be accommodated.
Board members pressed the applicant on potential impacts to an adjacent storage facility. One board member asked how the drive‑through would affect storage access "if that drive thru lane stacks up like Starbucks or Dunkin's happen to?" Planning staff and the applicant pointed to site features and said the primary storage access is a north curb cut and that gates would be adjusted to avoid encroaching on the drive‑through lane. The applicant acknowledged that tight turning radii could be challenging for large trucks with trailers but said the drive‑through is single lane and the design keeps the lane away from the storage building.
The board opened the floor for public comment and recorded none. A motion was made to send a favorable recommendation to the town council, findings of fact were referenced, and the board voted in favor without recorded dissent. The recommendation now goes to the St John Town Council for final action.
Next steps: the town council will consider the special exception recommendation; the board’s formal action was advisory and does not itself authorize construction or operation beyond what state plan approvals allow.
