A property directly across the street from a brand-new apartment complex could be a landing spot for one of the biggest coffee chains in the world, as a developer has submitted plans to the city that would bring a Starbucks to a currently vacant parcel.
Just a few years after the coffee giant opened their first Jersey City location outside of Downtown inside the Journal Square PATH plaza, Jersey Digs has learned the company appears to be targeting a 31,000-square foot property at 3-7 Bennett Street. The land is directly across the street from the just-completed 16 Bennett Street development, a block from 100 Water Street’s construction, and abuts Route 440.
The property isn’t owned by Starbucks but is under the control of a company named 407 Ege B LLC. They are registered out of 258 Newark Street in Hoboken and are a subsidiary of a group called Vanguard Realty LP. Earlier this month, they filed an application that seeks preliminary and final major site plan approval from the Planning Board to construct a one-story commercial structure rising 19 feet that includes 24 paved parking spaces and a drive-thru window.
Vanguard Realty’s application states that the 2,500-square feet of retail space will be home to a Starbucks, although renderings for the project have not been made available. As part of the plan, the applicant will preserve a 30-foot portion of the property that fronts Route 440 for “future expansion.” Hoboken-based Minervini Vandermark worked on the design of the space.
The property is located within a Highway Mixed-Use Zone and presumably includes a drive-thru portion to take advantage of nearby Route 440, one of the most traveled roads in Jersey City. Starbucks has several drive-thru locations in New Jersey’s suburbs but just two in Hudson county, one along River Road in North Bergen and a newly-opened spot inside the Kearny Commons development.
Starbucks has not yet responded to an inquiry we placed looking to confirm their involvement in the project, and the city’s planning board has yet to set a date for hearing the development’s application.
