Fairhope Starbucks fans need to be patient for a while longer.

Back in March 2022, plans for a Starbucks Coffee with a dual drive-thru were brought before the Fairhope Planning Commission. The location for the national chain is the parking lot at the Eastern Shore Village Center.

During the March 7, 2022, meeting, details were discussed, issues were hammered out, and staff recommendations were made. The planning commission voted unanimously in favor of recommending approval of the site subject to staff recommendations and the applicant adding acceptable landscape features to the current shopping center.

Those recommendations were:

• A Shared Parking Agreement shall be executed before issuance of the build;
• Tree removal permits and fees shall be provided at the time of the building permit;
• A sign plan shall be submitted via Citizen Serve to Code Enforcement for review and approval; and
• Electric services shall be coordinated at the time of permitting.

Gulf Coast Media reached out to Starbucks corporate offices regarding the status of the project several times but never received a reply. In August, we contacted Mike Jeffries, City of Fairhope Development service manager, and was informed the site plan was approved by city council but that the status of the building schedule was unknown to the city.

That changed Oct. 23 during a Fairhope City Council meeting. Hunter Simmons, City of Fairhope Planning and Zoning manager, presented council with a site plan extension request for the Starbucks project. The request was for a one-year extension.

Simmons explained to council that the Big Lots Shopping Center agreement states no construction projects could operate during the holiday season within the parking lot. The developers of the project did not want to pull building permits and get delayed. Council approved the extension request.

Gulf Coast Media will continue to follow this project's progress, which will more than likely not see movement until the new year.