BPAC Statement on Starbucks Drive-Through

21 June 2007
To: City of Ithaca Planning Board
From: BPAC
Re: Starbuck’s Proposed Drive-Through

BPAC has reviewed the proposal for a Starbuck’s drive-thru on Meadow Street directly behind Northside Wine & Spirits, and we urge you NOT to approve it.

The specific reasons are fairly easy to identify:

The proposed entrance/exit directly off and onto Meadow St. will overload an already highly trafficked core roadway at an especially congested stretch. The entrance/exit will also inconvenience and endanger pedestrians traveling along Meadow St. Rite Aid Pharmacy on Meadow Street, for example, has its entrance directly off Meadow St., but its exit is to a side street regulated by a traffic light.

Not only are the proposed entrance/exit dangerous and disruptive, but also a drive-thru in this location will jeopardize future opportunity for the city to create safe and convenient pedestrian-centered pathways from this section of Meadow St. to neighborhoods in the Titus St. vicinity.

Other cities (Oregon City, Toronto, and Village of Los Ranchos de Albuquerque, for example) have passed zoning ordinances that restrict drive-thru business to certain districts of the city. The proposal by Starbuck’s is a chance for Ithaca to do the same. Drive-thru business may be safe and relatively non-intrusive in some parts of our city, and for businesses (like pharmacies) who have relatively low traffic flow, but not at this location on Meadow Street for a high-traffic coffee shop.


We are fortunate that walkability and environmental sustainability have been made a priority by our current city administration. We trust you will consider all the negative ramifications of the Starbuck’s proposal, and decide in favor of a business plan that takes the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists into full account.

Respectfully,
Members of BPAC



Postscript from Dave Nutter:
I realize that the short window of opportunity for input for the BPAC letter has passed, but should there be additional discussion I think the point about " proposed entrance/exit directly off and onto Meadow St." could be clarified both as to where we are talking about and what we expect would happen there:

The entrance/exit on Meadow Street between the traffic lights for Ithaca Plaza and for Fairgrounds Memorial Parkway was labeled on the drawing as only for truck deliveries, but that is not credible. Because of the awkwardness of turning movements, conflicts with queued traffic leaving Ithaca Plaza, and traffic light delays involved with the "legitimate" path between Meadow Street and the drive-thru via the traffic light for Ithaca Plaza, it appears that the fast, direct, and unsignaled "truck delivery" entrance/exit would be used by drive-thru patrons, that it would likely be the primary entrance/exit for Meadow Street traffic for the drive-thru, and
that this is so obvious that it is hard to believe that a company which has surely designed many drive-thrus would not have realized this and intended it to be for use by drive-thru patrons despite the contrary label. Instead of a small number of truck deliveries, we would expect a
large number of car drivers crossing the sidewalk here both entering and exiting, and many would do so rapidly in order to fit into gaps in busy Meadow Street traffic both southbound and northbound. Those drivers entering and exiting would be in conflict with one another as they cross within the circulation for the drive-thru, and also conflict with a natural but unprotected diagonal path which pedestrians do and would use between the sidewalk of Meadow Street and both the walkway in front of Ithaca Plaza and also the proposed Meadow Street entrance to the cafe. Those drivers will be very distracted by traffic within the parking lot, around the drive-thru, and on Meadow Street. Furthermore as they exit they will be distracted by handling full hot drinks. Pedestrians are apt to be the victims of this distraction. This traffic pattern looks like an unwarranted conflict with pedestrians and a conflict with the principle of minimizing and regulating the entrances/exits on Meadow Street which is intended to reduce conflicts with pedestrians and between motorists. In addition, although it is not a direct bike/ped issue, it looks awkward to pull up to the window while turning.

--Dave Nutter