Concerns Over Fatal Crashes Send Proposed Bridgewater Starbucks Back To Drawing Board

BRIDGEWATER, NJ — Plans to build a new Starbucks restaurant and drive-thru on Route 22 in Bridgewater are being sent back to the drawing board for the second time after continued traffic concerns over cars from the drive-thru backing up onto Route 22 were raised.

"Someone is going to get killed at this location," said Bridgewater Zoning Board of Adjustment Chairman Jeffrey Foose.

Emotions ran high on Tuesday night when the Zoning Board continued to hear an application by Bridgewater Realty II LLC to build a Starbucks with drive-thru on the property next to the former Houlihans restaurant off Route 22 East.

Construction Manager for Starbucks Carlos Cruz kicked off the meeting by addressing previous drive-thru concerns.

Cruz noted the proposed drive-thru queue will be able to hold 24 cars.

"I can safely say it is the largest queue in the state," said Cruz.

He added that an average day at Starbucks will usually average nine to 10 cars daily in the drive-thru with 12 cars at peak hours.

Cruz also noted that there will be a camera located at the corner of the building with a view of the drive-thru. If the drive-thru were to back up the manager would close a lane.

Foose visited multiple Starbucks locations including Madison where he says the drive-thru light was not operational. He also added that at the other locations the drive-thru lanes enter from a mall parking lot or side street versus a highway in case of spillage of cars.

"Every single location, 35 locations... every single one of these has space for error except for Bridgewater. If you are wrong the cars back up on Route 22 East," said Foose.

Halfway through the meeting Henry Kent-Smith of Fox Rothchild, who is the attorney representing Bridgewater Realty (Starbucks applicant) asked for a recess.

"We heard your concern that this is paramount to you," said Kent-Smith when he returned from recess.

"This should be paramount to you! This is safety. Why isn’t this getting through? I don’t want people to die," interjected Foose.

Kent-Smith added that Starbucks can evaluate alternative options to address issues such as spillage onto the highway.

"If it's that significant we need to make certain that we can propose with this Board a solution that no one on this Board is going to be concerned relative to impact on public safety," said Kent-Smith.

Bridgewater Township Planner Katherine Sarmed said Starbucks' current plan is "chaotic" and needed to be "more streamlined."

"There has to be another opportunity to do exactly what the Chairman said. To redesign it so the overflow never looks to 22. Never even comes close to 22 because we shouldn’t even have that risk and the one time it happens it should never happens. Let's look at the site design. Let's see if we can reconfigure the drive-thru. Find queuing where it's in a lane but overflow elsewhere in a safe location," said Sarmed.

Foose added that the Board wants "to approve this [application], we just want it safe."

Kent-Smith asked the Board to "please give us one last shot to come back to this Board with a redesign that addresses conclusively your concern."

Starbucks had previously modified its proposed drive-thru plans in March when Bridgewater Zoning Board members expressed concerns over traffic backing up from the Starbucks drive-thru onto Route 22 similar to what is happening at the Dunkin location on Route 22 in Somerville.

Ultimately the Board agreed to allow the applicant to come back with a redesigned drive-thru at the Nov. 12 Zoning meeting.

• See Related: Proposed Bridgewater Starbucks Modifies Drive-Thru Plans To Address Traffic Concerns
• Related: Traffic Issues With Proposed Bridgewater Starbucks To Be Addressed

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