Charlotte Hall Starbucks
Originally Published: October 21, 2024
Planning Commission Reviews Location Change
UPDATE: The public hearing has been moved to November 25th, at 6:30PM. The applicant did not install public notice signs on their property by the required deadline, which resulted in the date change.
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Starbucks is relocating from its originally approved site at the old Wentworth’s property to Charlotte Hall Crossing, a development situated on what was once the Farmer’s Market. The proposed new site, located on Parcel 9 next to the under-construction Chick-fil-A, will be reviewed by the Planning Commission (PC) on October 28th.
Located at 29890 Three Notch Road, Starbucks will feature a 2,200-square-foot building. It will have 30 parking spots and a drive-thru that can accommodate up to 15 cars, with an additional bypass lane. Plans from 2022, approved by the PC for the original location, showed 23 cars stacked in drive-thru and 31 parking spaces.
The coffee chain had been slated for the old Wentworth’s property, next to Royal Farms at 30315 Three Notch Road. According to a traffic report from Traffic Concepts Inc., “as part of the Starbucks approval, infrastructure improvements were approved and bonded.” This included traffic mitigation such as the creation of a southbound auxiliary lane and the widening of Oaks Road to accommodate a right-turn lane into the development. Oaks Road would also have been restriped to include two left-turn lanes and a through/right-turn lane.
According to a traffic study supplement from July 2024, “an updated traffic study [for Charlotte Hall Crossing] will serve no purpose as Starbucks will reduce impacts to PM peak hour, and AM peak hour operates at acceptable levels.” The study compared trip generation from Starbucks to that of the initial tenants (Chick-fil-A, ALDI, and 14K SF of general retail) and found that the Starbucks location would generate “78 fewer PM peak hour trips and 625 fewer average daily trips” compared to the original plan.
The report continues that “traffic failures are over-mitigated” under the shopping center’s first plan approval. Mitigation includes restriping Golden Beach Road to provide a dedicated right-turn lane (312% over mitigation) and installing a signal at the MD 5 and Traveled Lane intersection (400% over mitigation). Additionally, the developer will create a deceleration lane along MD 5 northbound at the MD 863A intersection and build a cul-de-sac where MD 863A intersects Traveled Lane. A roundabout is planned for the intersection of Traveled Lane and Henry Lane.
The Planning Commission will meet to discuss the new Starbucks location at Charlotte Hall Crossing on November 25 at 6:30 PM. Community members can send comments via email to Brandy.Glenn@stmaryscountymd.gov.
