A new coffee shop will be opening along Hilltop Road in St. Joseph, set to serve the increasing number of workers occupying offices in the Hilltop Business Center and surrounding area.
St. Joe City Commissioners this week approved a special use permit for Five Lakes Coffee to open a shop in a vacant part of the parking lot at the center at 211 Hilltop. Zoning Administrator Dalton Castle told commissioners about the proposal.
“The applicant’s request is to construct a 1,992 square foot drive-through coffee restaurant with associated outdoor seating and parking lot with a drive-through aisle, as discussed,” Castle said.
Five Lakes Coffee has locations in Kalamazoo and Sturgis, among other places.
Commissioners welcomed the addition of the coffee shop at the Hilltop site, noting it ought to help brighten up the otherwise very utilitarian area. Commissioner Lisa Vetne appreciated the landscaping this project will bring.
“We can’t say this very often, but this is an example,” Vetne said. “When the construction’s done, there’ll be more green, less pavement, which is nice…The trees proposed look nice.”
Clark Logistics is developing the site for Five Lakes Coffee. The city planning commission previously approved the plan and the city commission vote to do the same was unanimous.
Vetne asked if there are plans to add a sidewalk nearby and was told there are not. City Engineer Tim Zebell said the city looked into installing a sidewalk there several years ago and couldn’t get the necessary cooperation from nearby property owners.
