Minnetonka planning panel backs 7 Brew drive‑through, forwards CUP to City Council

The Minnetonka Planning Commission voted unanimously on Nov. 20 to recommend that the City Council approve a conditional use permit and final site and building plan for a drive‑through‑only 7 Brew at the Highway 7/County Road 101 area.

Staff said the proposal meets applicable city code standards for the B‑2 district, that the site plan and building design are reasonable, and that SRF, the city's traffic consultant, confirmed site circulation and drive‑through operations were appropriate. "There's about a half a percent increase in traffic — that's 104 trips," Planner Drew Ingleson said, and he later clarified the consultant estimated 26 exiting trips during the peak hour and roughly 224 entering trips for the day.

The plan would locate two closely spaced prefab buildings and a trash enclosure on a roughly 12‑acre site currently dominated by shared parking; staff reported the site contains about 482 shared…