Auburn residents could be sipping coffee at the city’s first stand-alone Starbucks as soon as mid-spring, according to the developer.
The coffee franchise, along with an AT&T service store, will appear in front of the new TownPlace Suites on South College Street.
The two stores will be a part of a “mini strip,” with each space being about 2,000 square feet, according developer Michael Delaney of Delaney Development Inc.
Rodney Rowan, of Stewart Perry Construction, said the construction deadline is set for February, after which the construction company will hand the buildings over to Starbucks and AT&T for final touches.
Delaney said the location in front of the hotel is a “good fit” for the Starbucks store, which will include a drive-thru. It will allow the coffee shop to attract hotel guests, students and those headed to work in the city, he added.
Auburn is also home to several local coffee shops, including Toomer’s Coffee Company that is nearly across the street from where the new Starbucks will sit.
But Delaney believes the two types of coffee shops — small-business and franchise — can coexist.
“I think people are going to get coffee where they want to get coffee,” whether that’s Starbucks or a local shop, he said. “I don’t think it will adversely affect anyone.”
Auburn has three other Starbucks locations, two of which are on the University campus. The third location arrived with the summer renovation and expansion of the Kroger on Dean Road.
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