That empty brick building on CR 210 ...
A few weeks ago an e-mail came in that asked "what in the world is going into that brick building next to the Fireworks store on County Road 210?" In case you haven't noticed it while rocketing your car past this area during the morning commute (pause for chuckle ...), it's literally just before the Interstate 95 exits. From the outward appearance, it seems to have inside seating and a drive-through, so a restaurant would have been my first guess. Because there are so many gas stations right by the interstate, you would think gas pumps would go up within the property, too. Some other folks have stopped me recently to ask the same question -- what is it? So I offer the answer here. Sun reporter Mark Pettus did some digging and found out through county officials what business will soon occupy this space -- Starbucks Coffee. No, I'm not kidding. Based on the traffic tie-ups in the morning, and knowing that most Starbucks addicts are more active in the morning, I can only imagine what kind of additional traffic mess will be caused when drivers whip into the drive-through window for a cup of joe (with chocolate and whipped cream and five extra packets of brown sugar with a cookie, etc.) AND THEN want to pull into the FAR LEFT LANE on 210 in order to get on I-95 northbound. Yeah, that's gonna be fun. No question Starbucks granted the franchise due to the number of car "trips" that pass by this area daily, so I don't blame their business model. However, it appears the Starbucks just up 210 in the shopping center near CR 2209 just isn't enough to satisfy the masses. If you drive the morning commute from Hades, you'll soon have to decide if you're going to let the coffee drinkers, uh, I mean addicts merge in front of you. Best of luck with that. Related: KevinClark's blog | login or register to post comments | printer friendly version | Tags: editor
Submitted by KevinBasarab on Mon, 11/05/2007 - 12:42pm.
I would have pondered to guess it would have been a Zaxby's judging by the look of the outside. Comes as no surprise to me though since I've also read in the past that since Starbucks basically has an outlet on every corner they are now trying to ensure they are on both sides of the road at each corner. I have a feeling that commuters will use Starbucks as an easy way to ride up the right lane, quickly get a coffee then cut in front of everyone else that has been waiting 15-20 minutes behind them though. Submitted by weasel on Mon, 11/05/2007 - 8:30pm.
I've heard several rumblings of a Home Depot behind the current Starbucks, next to McDonalds as well as a Super WalMart at 210 & Rt 1. Has anyone heard the same? How about the big retail plans for WGV? Thats supposed to be done by 2009, i think? I also noticed the North West corner of 210 & 95 had a sold sign, across from the future Starbucks...hmmm....Wish we had a clue what they plan to do with all the traffic. Guess we'll have to leave for work at 5am, good thing we'll have coffee to keep us awake.
Submitted by KevinClark on Tue, 11/06/2007 - 1:12pm.
Interesting -- haven't heard about the Home Depot on 210, but it would not surprise me. Big-box store corporations are notorious for keeping info under wraps, but we'll see what we can find out about that. From what I understand, the large "town-center" mall is still on track near World Golf Village for 2009, but there are some unexpected hurdles the developer is having to deal with at the moment. Keep checking the Times-Union and St. Augustine Record's business news for continuing coverage of that project. Thanks for your comments. Kevin Kevin Clark General Manager/Editor My St. Johns Sun (904) 287-0618 ext. 200# kevin.clark@jacksonville.com Submitted by Josy on Wed, 11/07/2007 - 7:53pm.
I have heard Home Depot and or Super Target was going in at the intersection of 2209 & 210. Things changes and there's always lots of rumors around.
Submitted by KevinClark on Mon, 11/12/2007 - 9:25am.
Commissioner Cyndi Stevenson sent me this comment Nov. 10 to post about the Starbucks building at CR 210 by I-95: The new starbucks was practically on autopilot as redevelopment with a lesser impact than the gas station. This is just one symptom of why we are changing the way we do business in St. Johns County-safety cannot take a back seat to a broken transportation model. Kevin Kevin Clark |
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Also, Starbucks does a demographics check long before they grant franchises. If the demo report is not up to par, i.e. upper middle class or soon to bee, they will not grant them or build. On that note, you can use Starbucks as an indicator of future neighborhood status if you are looking to invest in homes or property. Let Starbucks do the work, you make the profits! Not too much up out there, but lots of building. You do the math!