Downers Grove's Village Council voted unanimously Tuesday, Sept. 8, to approve a Dutch Bros. Coffee drive-thru at Ogden and Saratoga avenues, overriding a 5-1 denial recommendation from the village's Planning and Zoning Commission.
The approval clears the way for the Oregon-based coffee chain to build on a long-vacant site near Herrick Middle School. A petition opposing the project had collected more than 800 signatures before the council delayed its original Aug. 18 vote to gather more information on traffic and vehicle stacking.
The project required a planned unit development, an alley vacation, a special use permit for a drive-thru and a zoning map amendment. Pedestrian safety improvements, including speed bumps, crosswalks and new signage, were added to the proposal before the Sept. 8 vote. A community director oversight provision was also included, giving the village authority to demand changes within the first six months of operation.
Mayor Bob Barnett said the proposal aligns with uses permitted under the village code. Addressing residents who opposed the project, Barnett said "there are perhaps dozens of elements of this plan that are now different … as a function of your input, so thank you for that."
Commissioner Rob Roe, who had asked for the Aug. 18 delay, said he visited the Melrose Park Dutch Bros. and experienced 17-minute wait times and stacking of up to 30 cars. Still, Roe said at the Sept. 8 meeting that he believes the congestion can be contained on-site and won't spill onto Saratoga or Ogden.
Residents near the site had raised concerns about traffic and pedestrian safety around Herrick Middle School. David Lorette told the council at an Aug. 4 meeting that the school's growing enrollment, with the addition of sixth-grade students, made the location a safety risk. Mary Kay Holmes, who works with seniors at the nearby Downers Grove Township Center at 4341 Saratoga Ave., said increased traffic could affect township programs and the Downers Grove Area FISH Food Pantry housed there.
Bryan Gay, president and CEO of the Downers Grove Economic Development Corp., spoke in favor of the plan, according to Shaw Local. Gay said the site was strategically chosen and estimated Dutch Bros. would generate $70,000 in annual sales tax revenue for the village.
Commissioner Martin Tully said the council had spent two decades working to revitalize Ogden Avenue and called the property "a clear underperforming property" that deserved development. The site sits within a tax increment financing (TIF) district.
A Dutch Bros. representative told the council that a Darien location would open before the Downers Grove store, which should help reduce initial traffic demand, Patch reported. The company also said it hires third-party traffic controllers as needed and that business typically drops 50% about six weeks after opening.
No construction start date or projected opening timeline has been announced.
