From car lot to coffeehouse: Starbucks to build Smyrna location

Coffee lovers in Smyrna will soon have someplace other than Wawa and Dunkin to go for a quick cup of coffee.

Plans are underway to transform the former site of BR’s Autos on Route 13 in Smyrna into a Starbucks coffeehouse.

The business will have an entrance at 1350 S. Du Pont Blvd. and an entrance and exit on Jimmy Drive in the Simon’s Corner shopping center near Hardee’s, said Jeremy Rothwell, the town’s senior planner.

The BR’s Autos building is being dismantled.

The new coffeehouse with drive-thru is expected to open this fall with a staff of about 17 to 20, said a Starbucks spokesperson in an email from the corporate office.

The plan calls for a 2,300-square-foot building on the 0.91-acre lot.

The project has already been approved by state, county and town agencies, Rothwell said. The plan didn’t have to go to the planning and zoning commission because the proposed use fits the "south corridor" zoning along the highway and the building is under 3,500 square feet.

“They’ve already obtained their demolition permit and their building permit,” Rothwell said.

Smyrna Mayor Robert C. Johnson said the coffeehouse should be popular with town residents.

“People have been asking me about when we’re going to get a Starbucks,” Johnson said. “My stepdaughter just loves it. Whenever we’re traveling, she always wants to stop at one. They should do well here. It’s a little different restaurant where people spend a bit more time. You can sit there and get on your laptop while you drink coffee and eat.”

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