Fort Pierce board unanimously approves five variances for Dutch Bros drive‑through at 2050 S. U.S. 1

The Fort Pierce Board of Adjustments voted unanimously to approve five variances requested for a proposed Dutch Bros drive‑through at 2050 South U.S. Highway 1.

Kevin (Kev) Freeman, planning director for the City of Fort Pierce, told the board staff recommended approval after analyzing the site’s layout and the operational characteristics of a drive‑through coffee use. Freeman said the site is zoned C‑3 commercial, the building is a vacant fast‑food footprint and the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has required closure of the existing driveway to U.S. 1, which constrains on‑site circulation.

“Because of the FDOT requirement and the way the site is already developed, staff concluded that special conditions exist and recommended approval of the five variances,” Freeman said.

The variances approved would: reduce the eastern and northern landscape buffers from 10 feet to 6 feet; allow parking stall dimensions to be 9 feet by 18 feet instead of the zoning standard; reduce drive‑aisle width from 26 feet to 24 feet to accommodate double drive‑through aisles; and change the parking ratio from 1 space per 75 square feet to 1 per 125 square feet of gross floor area. Freeman said staff widely noticed the application within a 500‑foot radius and received one return envelope; no substantive adverse comments were reported.

Applicant civil engineer Bob Ziegenfuss said the parcel is about 0.43 acres and the proposed building is roughly 950 square feet. Ziegenfuss told the board the plan provides stacking for 18 cars while Dutch Bros’ operations typically design for 16, and that staff and the applicant had met with FDOT about driveway access.

“We’ve tried to balance all of the different elements of site design here to provide a little bit of everything,” Ziegenfuss said, describing order‑ahead parking, stacking and landscaping tradeoffs.

Board members questioned whether reduced stall and drive‑aisle widths could lead to conflicts when vehicles back out, whether garbage or service vehicles could safely maneuver, and whether stacking could spill back onto Tennessee Avenue or U.S. 1. Ziegenfuss and staff responded that operational measures (order‑ahead, reserved employee spaces) and the proposed stacking geometry should limit spillback, while acknowledging the site is tight.

One board member pressed for stronger landscape and maintenance commitments, requesting irrigation, St. Augustine sod and a roughly 20% increase in plantings; staff said the city has a mechanism requiring the owner/developer to sign a maintenance agreement as part of final approval and that staff would negotiate appropriate species and spacing.

Mr. Drummond moved to approve the five variances with conditions addressing a 20% increase in landscaping, irrigation and maintenance commitments; the motion was seconded and passed on a unanimous roll‑call vote of the three members present (Drummond, Crist and Chair Galinis).

Following the vote, the applicant indicated construction drawings are being prepared and said permit applications could be submitted within about 30 days.

The board’s approval covers only the variances as described; any additional elements such as signage, final landscaping species and final site plan details will be addressed during permit review and final site plan approval.