SOUTHINGTON — Construction crews are finishing the building for a new Starbucks location on West Street, the final addition to a shopping plaza near the Courtyard by Marriott.
The Starbucks building is up and the roof construction underway. The coffee shop chain plans to start building out the interior soon and open in the spring, said Mark Lovley, a local developer who’s built the stores, offices and restaurants in the plaza.
When it opens in Centurion Plaza at 1095 West Street, it will be the second independent Starbucks location in town. A third location is in the Target at 300 Executive Boulevard South, nearly across the street from Lovley’s development.
He signed a lease with the coffee shop chain earlier this year. When he first developed the plaza, Lovley had planned to have a Cheshire Coffee location there. The local coffee shop decided not to expand to the plaza and another tenant took over the storefront.
The Starbucks will have a drive through as well as a walk-up window and outdoor patio. The pedestrian window is a feature of some new Starbucks locations, Lovley said.
“There’s a walk-up window so if COVID happens again and they have to shut down, people can get their coffee,” he said.
The company didn’t return a message for comment on Monday.
The addition of Starbucks brings the Centurion Plaza to full occupancy.
A Starbucks location just opposite the Interstate 84 ramp on Queen Street closed after the company decided to open a shop just a little farther north.
Late last year, the town approved a drive-through for the 613 Queen St. property across from Exit 32, but not before the coffee shop chain had made the decision to move into a former bank at 812 Queen St.
John Senese, a local developer, owns property on both sides of Queen Street near the West Queen Street intersection.
He’s done extensive development across Queen Street in a former bank building that’s now Starbucks.
The new location opened three weeks ago according to an employee Monday.
Senese has built an Aldi grocery store, an AAA center, restaurants and an urgent care center on land that used to be a factory, a small restaurant and some houses.
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