Planning staff recommends approval for Scooter's Coffee drive‑thru at Watcorp Plaza; PCC 7–0

Planning staff presented a request from Mr. Patel on behalf of Scooter's Coffee and the contract purchaser for a 0.78-acre outlot in Watcorp Plaza to construct a 664-square-foot, drive‑thru-only coffee kiosk with double drive lanes and vehicle stacking.

The site is an outlot within a retail center with shared access from 9th Street; IDOT's Route 7 channelization project will convert the intersection to a right‑in/right‑out configuration, but staff told council the drive, internal circulation and reciprocal access agreements have been coordinated among owners and the applicant is adding access‑easement language to plats to formalize that arrangement. Planning and Zoning Commission voted 7–0 to recommend the special-use permit with two conditions (sign exhibit limitations and placement of a freestanding sign) and also recommended the preliminary and final development plans.

Staff said the facility is drive‑thru only (no indoor seating), will stack about 16 cars in the double-lane configuration and includes an upgraded landscape plan that will add greenery to the center. Council asked about impacts to adjacent gravel access and confirmed existing access points for neighboring businesses would remain; staff said the project coordinates with adjacent owners and the Route 7 work. The applicant's representative said reciprocal ownership arrangements and shared access language will be placed on plats.

Next steps: staff will finalize required plat language and conditions; planning staff recommended approval to the council as written.