Lenoir council approves conditional rezoning for drive‑thru coffee at 710 Blowing Rock Blvd with Crestline turn‑lane condition

The Lenoir City Council voted unanimously May 4 to approve a conditional rezoning (CZ‑13) for 710 Blowing Rock Boulevard that will allow a drive‑thru coffee use on a parcel currently zoned B6 with an R‑15 strip, adding a council condition requiring an additional right‑turn lane off Crestline Place.

Planning Director Hannah Williams told the council the application, submitted by Foresight Group LLC and Track West Developers, would permit drive‑thru uses across the parcel, require a 45‑foot building setback from residential zones and a 30‑foot planted buffer with multiple rows of trees and shrubs to screen nearby homes. “The proposed conditional zoning ordinance is consistent with the 2045 comprehensive plan,” Williams said, and the Planning Board recommended approval 6–4, she added.

Developer representative Molly Hillpatrick said the 1,000‑square‑foot, drive‑thru‑only building (proposed as Dutch Bros) would be paired with an undeveloped second commercial pad, and that the applicant had revised landscaping and added turn lanes after Planning Board feedback. “We’re here representing Track West Development and presenting this proposed Dutch Bros Coffee with the drive‑thru,” Hillpatrick said, noting the team would preserve existing trees where possible and has coordinated driveway changes with NCDOT.

Nearby residents urged the council to reject or tighten the proposal on traffic‑safety grounds. “I’m opposed to it,” said Matt Fulmer, who lives on Seahorn Street across the corridor. A longer resident statement (recorded in the meeting under the name Fad Mollish and later referenced as Mr. Mullis in discussion) described repeated near‑misses and crash history along the five‑lane Highway 321 corridor and warned a two‑lane drive‑thru would worsen turning conflicts: “It’s going to be a nightmare,” the resident said.

Track West partner John Mock told council that the property is already commercially zoned and that the applicant had negotiated a substantially larger setback and more extensive plantings than the site would receive by right. “We’re not asking for something to go from residential to commercial. This is something that’s already commercial,” Mock said, arguing the conditional rezoning is less intrusive than many by‑right options.

Council members acknowledged residents’ safety concerns and the heavy traffic on 321 while noting the site’s existing commercial zoning and the applicant’s additional buffering and roadway mitigations. Council’s motion to approve the ordinance, presented by Mayor Pro Tem Perkins, included an amendment to add a right‑turn lane onto Crestline Place as an explicit condition. The motion passed with an affirmative unanimous vote.

The approved conditional zoning requires the setbacks and the 30‑foot planted buffer described by staff; council discussion noted cross‑access between parcels and continued coordination with NCDOT on driveway geometry would be part of later site‑plan reviews. Staff and developers told council the second pad will not be developed immediately and that portions of the buffer tying into future development may be enforced when that work is proposed unless the developer consents to broader conditions now.

What happens next: the applicant will proceed to finalize engineering and coordinate required DOT approvals and city site‑plan and zoning compliance work. Neighbors and council members said they will monitor traffic and enforcement of the planted buffer and driveway conditions.

Votes and procedural note: Council approved CZ‑13 as presented with the Crestline right‑turn lane condition; the meeting record shows the motion by Mayor Pro Tem Perkins and a unanimous council vote.