Starbucks gets final OK to replace Wendy's on Vineyard Avenue in Oxnard

Despite concerns that drive-thru traffic could back up into surrounding streets, a Starbucks coffee shop will replace the Wendy’s restaurant on Vineyard Avenue in Oxnard.

The Oxnard City Council awarded an appeal to Friedrich Family Limited Partnership on a 6-1 vote Tuesday. The vote grants the property owner the needed special-use permit to transform the 2,450-square-foot restaurant into a drive-thru Starbucks.

At their Feb. 15 meeting, the City Council directed staff to write a resolution granting the appeal, which was approved Tuesday.

The coffee shop is planned to open in early 2023, said Hollee King Winegar, a land-use consultant for the property owner, Wednesday.

Councilman Bert E. Perello, the lone dissenter, said Tuesday he had recently visited several Starbucks locations in Ventura County and no longer supported the project.

“This is a mistake,” Perello said. 

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When the project first went before the council in February, Perello was concerned about the effect the Starbucks would have on traffic flow but voted in favor of the appeal. According to city documents, the Vineyard Avenue and RiverPark Boulevard intersection is one of the city’s busiest intersections. 

The Planning Commission denied the Friedrich Family Limited a special-use permit on Jan. 13, finding the project failed to meet certain criteria, according to a staff report. 

Scott Kolwitz, the city’s planning and environmental services manager, said last month the Planning Commission was worried that drive-thru traffic would back up into the right-of-way. 

Estimates show there could be anywhere from 10 to 16 cars in the Starbucks drive-thru during peak morning hours, according to the staff report. Wendy’s currently has a five-vehicle drive-thru queue length. 

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Representatives of the business submitted four grounds of appeal to the City Council on Feb. 15, but city staff agreed with the commission's original decision and found the grounds had “no merit," according to the report.

However, the council unanimously directed staff to write a resolution granting the appeal.

Councilman Gabe Teran said Tuesday he’d support the project, but if traffic flow becomes an issue, the council would revisit the matter. 

“If it doesn’t work, I will be the first to call it out, and I will absolutely look for accountability on making sure that it’s not causing a nuisance, causing an issue with traffic or quality of life in our community,” said Teran, who represents District 2 where the Starbucks will open. 

The coffee purveyor, which will have enough space to accommodate 16 vehicles in its drive-thru, estimated an average of nine cars will queue up throughout the day, according to Winegar last month. Between 8 and 9 a.m., drive-thru traffic could reach 18 cars, she said. 

To keep that number under 16, employees will use a handheld device to take orders from the drive-thru when the queue reaches more than 12 vehicles, Winegar said. The device is expected to lower the morning queue length from 18 to 12 vehicles, according to Winegar. 

Brian J. Varela covers Oxnard, Port Hueneme and Camarillo. He can be reached at brian.varela@vcstar.com or 805-477-8014. You can also find him on Twitter @BrianVarela805.