Starbucks coffee shop. (Credit: Starbucks Media)
The Toms River Township zoning board has approved the construction of a Starbucks location on Route 37 to replace a long-shuttered gas station.
The board began hearing the application in the fall and completed it last month. A resolution memorializing the approval was adopted recently. Doren Development applied to build the new store 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. A two-sided, static billboard was also approved to be constructed on the parcel. A digital billboard had been sought earlier in the application.
1290 Hooper Avenue, Toms River, where a Starbucks coffee shop was approved. (Credit: Google Maps)
The Starbucks restaurant will have drive-thru service, and will be constructed with a new parking lot. The existing structures that made up the filling station will being demolished. The proposal required 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, meaning there will be no noticeable change for motorists. The Starbucks is proposed to have 30 parking spaces.
Additional variances were required for an electrical transformer that will be located 30.5-feet from an adjacent residential zone, whereas 60-feet is normally required, and five signs are required for the drive-through lane’s traffic pattern where just two are normally allowed.
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