Two fast-casual restaurants and a Seven Brew drive-thru coffee shop are planned for commercial land near Andover Cinema, after the Andover City Council on Nov. 18 unanimously approved a Planned Unit Development amendment, a preliminary plat and two conditional use permits to advance the project.
The applicant, Java Companies of St. Paul, is proposing to develop the northeast corner of the existing commercial complex, near Willy McCoy’s, Andover Cinema and the bowling alley. The site, currently used as surface parking.
City Planner Peter Hellegers said the redevelopment will convert a largely underutilized portion of the parking area into two new commercial pads. To accommodate the buildings, 92 parking spaces will be removed, though the larger commercial area maintains adequate parking supply based on existing PUD standards. Part of the plaza in front of the cinema will also be removed to reconfigure parking and create a new through-access lane.
The proposal also includes the installation of a right-turn lane from Jay Street into the development, along with adjustments to improve circulation between buildings and existing access points. The development will use current full-access entries as well as right-in and right-in/right-out access points.
Hellegers said the plans align with the standards and deviations previously authorized under the Andover Station Planned Unit Development and do not require rezoning. He said the project remains consistent with minimum lot size, depth, setbacks and drive-thru circulation requirements established in prior approvals. The applicant conducted its own traffic study, which supported the proposed access layout.
Council members asked questions about traffic flow, peak usage times and how vehicles would circulate through the shared parking lot, particularly with the addition of multiple drive-thru lanes. Hellegers said that based on existing circulation patterns at Willy McCoy’s, the cinema and the bowling alley, traffic naturally disperses throughout the property rather than stacking at a single intersection. He said most traffic would likely enter from Jay Street and disperse south and west through the site, following existing flow patterns.
Mayor Jamie Barthel said he agreed with the need to monitor traffic, especially once the coffee shop opens.
“It seems like those establishments are always busiest late afternoon, evenings,” Barthel said, adding that the coffee shop and restaurants could bring more daytime traffic, particularly in the morning.
The preliminary plat, titled “Andover Station III,” creates separate development lots for the two restaurants and the coffee shop. Hellegers said the plat “memorializes” the carving of a portion of the parking lot to allow new buildings to be constructed while still sharing parking and internal access with the broader commercial complex. The plat includes four full-access drives, a right-in only entrance off Jay Street and a right-in/right-out south of it.
The council next approved a conditional use permit for a drive-thru on Lot 2, where one of the fast-casual restaurants will include a drive-thru lane. The primary entrance will be from the north-south private drive, which would bend east and wrap around the west side of the building. The stacking configuration is designed to hold six to eight vehicles before reaching the access aisle. Landscaping will be installed at the north side to help buffer headlight glare using both coniferous and deciduous trees. Additional screening will be added along the east side.
A second CUP was approved for the third building, a standalone Seven Brew coffee shop. Hellegers said that building will have two drive-thru lanes and no indoor seating, and employees will walk up to vehicles to take orders. Morning hours are expected to be the peak operating period. Like the other drive-thru, landscaping will be installed at the north side, particularly near turning areas, to add screening. The site will include both the main structure and a separate small cooler building.
The council expressed support for the redevelopment and the reuse of a dormant corner of the property. Final construction timelines were not discussed, but Hellegers said the applicant intends to move quickly once final engineering, permit approval and the park dedication requirements are completed.