Lake Forest council approves Starbucks with drive-through at Everett and Waukegan

The Lake Forest City Council voted unanimously March 4 to waive first reading and grant final approval for a special‑use permit and site plan that will allow a Starbucks with a double‑stacked drive‑through at the southeast corner of Everett and Waukegan.

Catherine Cerniak, the city’s director of community development, said the Plan Commission unanimously recommended approval and that the drive‑through element requires council approval even though a coffee shop alone would not. She described the site’s long, changeable history and the access constraints around the busy intersection, including limits on curb cuts reviewed by the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT). “This is a recommendation that comes to you unanimously from the Plan Commission,” Cerniak said, and she noted the proposal will go to the Building Review Board for design, lighting, signage and landscaping review.

The site plan as presented calls for 15 parking spaces, several reserved for Starbucks partners (employees), and a double‑stacked drive‑through lane that the applicant says will stack up to about 15 vehicles before merging to a single pickup window. Staff and the applicant said the layout was sized to minimize the risk of vehicles backing into the parking area and to reduce queue impacts on the adjacent intersection.

Council members asked about the size and function of the building compared with other Lake Forest coffee locations, nearby spillover parking, and how the drive‑through would affect turning movements on Waukegan Road. Cerniak said the building square footage would be similar to other local Starbucks stores, pedestrian connections would be provided, and the site engineer had preliminarily reviewed the plan; she also said the vehicle lanes will be angled to discourage unsafe turning movements.

Jack Frigo, real estate adviser to the property owner, told the council, “We will be before the BRB in April. We hope to break ground this summer and deliver the building to Starbucks in December.” The applicant (identified in testimony as Mr. Iosu) confirmed Starbucks’ requirement that partners have on‑site parking and noted the proposed partner spaces at the north end of the lot.

The council approved the motion by roll call; the clerk recorded the vote as seven ayes and zero nays. The Building Review Board will review design details and the south portion of the property remains zoned for future commercial development that will be reviewed at a later date.

What happens next: the project will proceed to the Building Review Board for design review; the city will continue to coordinate with IDOT on access and curb‑cut issues as the project moves forward.