Council approves 7 Brew drive‑through at Colonel Glenn with conditions after heated debate on stacking and traffic

Beavercreek City Council approved a specific site plan for a 7 Brew drive-through at 3919 Colonel Glenn Highway on Feb. 9, voting 4–3 to adopt the Planning Commission’s recommendation and record 19 conditions for the project (PUD 25‑3).

The proposal calls for a 790‑square‑foot drive‑through coffee shop on a 0.64‑acre triangular lot with no interior dine‑in service, 12 parking spaces and 21 vehicle stacking spaces. The applicant told council the plan removes multiple curb cuts on Colonel Glenn and routes access to Germany Lane, adds a sidewalk and specifies cut‑off lighting and landscaping. The applicant also requested deletion of the last clause of Condition 18, which references suspension or revocation of a certificate of use compliance; the council kept the conditions as written.

Why it mattered: Council members raised repeated concerns that the city’s first 7 Brew location has experienced persistent stacking and traffic management problems that spill onto public streets. Several council members said they were unconvinced mitigation at the existing store had been effective and pressed the applicant and staff for concrete, enforceable measures to prevent blocking on Germany Lane.

What staff and the applicant said: Planning staff said the project meets the zoning code’s stacking calculations (staff noted 21 stacking spaces on the plan, above the numeric minimum derived from the applicant’s wait‑time estimates) and recommended approval with conditions, including a 4‑foot sidewalk on Germany Lane and specific stacking and traffic requirements. Applicant planner Jonathan Woker (recorded in the hearing) said the North Fairfield store’s volumes are an outlier and that the Germany Lane design, stacking count and access restrictions would limit off‑site queuing.

Police and mitigation: The Police Chief told council that signage on the roadway (for example, 'no blocking intersection') would give officers the authority to enforce and is the most practical mitigation; he said routine officer deployment to direct traffic is undesirable and not a long‑term solution. Staff said the city could require a mitigation plan and pursue zoning violations if cars regularly queue onto the public right‑of‑way.

Council action and conditions: After debate, a motion to approve the PUD and record the 19 conditions carried by roll-call vote (4 yes, 3 no). Council members said they expect staff to follow up if stacking becomes a problem and indicated signage and enforceable mitigation would be required where appropriate.

Speakers quoted in this article are taken from the Feb. 9 council meeting transcript and attributed to their appearances at that hearing. The project must still meet any administrative requirements spelled out in the recorded conditions.