New Starbucks, Drive-Through, Digital Billboard Proposed for Route 37

Starbucks coffee shop. (Credit: Starbucks Media)

A new Starbucks coffee shop with a drive-through lane has been proposed for a prominent property along Route 37’s westbound lanes.

Doren Development will pitch its plan to the Toms River Township zoning board at its Sept. 25 meeting. The new store would be located at 1632 Route 37 West, located at the highway’s intersection with Vaughn Avenue. The property is mostly vacant, and was previously home to a Lukoil gas station. The developer will also be seeking permission to install a digital billboard on the property.

According to a board filing, a new Starbucks restaurant with drive-thru service and associated parking would be built on the site, with existing structures being demolished. The proposal would require the board to approve several variances, including a 50-foot setback from the highway where 150-feet is normally required. The previous business, however, was also located 50-feet back from the road. The drive-through would be located 36.1-feet from an adjacent residential zone, where 60-feet is normally required. The Starbucks is also being proposed to have 30 parking spaces where 82 would normally be required for a property its size.

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An electrical transformer would be located 30.5-feet from an adjacent residential zone, whereas 60-feet is normally required, and five signs are proposed where just two are allowed. There are also no trees planned to be planted, where eight are required under the township’s ordinance.

1632 Route 37 West, Toms River, N.J. (Credit: Google Earth)

The variances related to the Starbucks building are bulk variances, requiring a simple majority of board members voting in favor of the application to approve it. The billboard that is planned for the site is not allowed in the zone, however, and thus requires a use, or “D” variance, which requires a supermajority of board members to approve the application.

The case will be heard at the Zoning Board of Adjustment meeting scheduled for Sept. 25, 2025 at 6:30 p.m. at the township municipal complex at 33 Washington Street.