Cobb Planning Commission OK's Paper Mill Village Starbucks plans Archives

Nearly a year after being proposed, a rebuild of the Starbucks at Paper Mill Village finally got a vote on Tuesday.

After months of delays, what had been first designed as a two-story standalone building went before the Cobb Planning Commission as a one-story coffee shop on the site of the present Starbucks location.

The matter was on the consent agenda, which was passed by a 4-0 vote.

The applicant, S&B Investments, Inc., wanted to rezone 0.73 acres at 31 Johnson Ferry Road, at the intersection of Paper Mill Road, from future commercial and low-density residential (R-80) to neighborhood retail commercial.

The expanded coffee shop would have had 2,500 square feet, 25 parking places and drive-thru service and would be open daily from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.

Those dimensions were sharply reduced in March after the initial plans were filed for two stories, 5,000 square feet and 23 parking places.

The Cobb Zoning Staff analysis said that wasn’t enough parking, and local civic groups also got involved in what turned to be months of discussions and revisions.

In a July 20 stipulation letter, S&B attorney Parks Huff said his client was withdrawing its site plan and keeping the building’s present configuration and footprint.

The letter also said there would be no drive-thru and any changes would go before county commissioners.

The present building would follow the “village” architectural style of Paper Mill Village and conform to the Johnson Ferry Design Standards in building the new structure.

(You can read that letter by clicking here.)

The Planning Commission’s recommendation for approval goes to the Cobb Board of Commissioners, which will conduct its next zoning hearing on Aug. 15.