Plans for Starbucks brewing in Berlin

A developer is looking to build a Starbucks coffeehouse on Farmington Avenue in Berlin in a vacant building that used to house a video rental store and paint shop.

Peter LaPointe, of Springfield-based Colvest/Kensington LLC, submitted plans to the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission for a 2,500-square-foot Starbucks at 1041-1055 Farmington Ave. The property is owned by Colvest and principal Frank Colaccino. 

Starbucks would occupy roughly two-thirds of the 4,000-square-foot renovated building where a Blockbuster video then a paint store closed years ago.

Berlin Economic Development Director Chris Edge said the remaining space is ideal for one or two more tenants due to parking. The property can accommodate 75 spaces.

Plans call for renovating the building instead of demolishing and building new.

Applicants said a site plan and special permit for the redevelopment were approved in 1998, which called for a 10,000-square foot pharmacy and a 4,000 square foot bank, both with drive-thrus. 

The site plan was revised  a year later, changing the bank use to a commercial/retail use and incorporating a drive-up ATM on the back of the building. 

The building was used by Blockbuster Video for more than 10 years before a paint and wallpaper store occupied the building from 2012 to 2017. It has been vacant since.

New plans include subdividing the existing building to create two commercial spaces. Once the Starbucks is built, the smaller space, roughly 1,650 square feet, is ideal for a commercial or food use, according to the application.

The special permit applies to the drive-thru lane, which would be expanded to allow for a 14-car queue, and the Porters Pass driveway would be relocated.

The Starbucks would have anywhere from five to eight employees per shift, and generate an estimated average 1,200 daily vehicle trips. 

Applicants estimate more than half of all customers will use the drive-thru.

The location is less than half a mile from a redevelopment area near Berlin’s new train station and mixed-use development featuring apartments, retail and a gastropub.

This would be the first Starbucks for Berlin, although there are other national chain and local coffee shops in town.

A new Starbucks planned in neighboring Newington would have a drive-thru and walk-up window – a feature that grew in popularity after the pandemic and due to the rise in mobile orders.

A public hearing on the application will continue Thursday before the Planning and Zoning Commission.