Busy Area of Schenectady Approved For Starbucks

Starbucks is moving into one of the busiest stretches of Schenectady. The city’s planning commission just approved plans for a new 2,200-square-foot café with a drive-thru at 1100 Erie Boulevard.

The site has been vacant for years. It sits across from First Prize Mike’s and Stewart’s. It was purchased by Electric Erie Development back in 2019.

According to the Albany Business Review, developer Fabio Urbano has been trying to get this project through since 2021. It took three trips to the zoning board before the plan finally stuck.

The sticking point was the drive-thru. That use wasn’t originally allowed, but the project was eventually reclassified as a fast food restaurant this spring. That cleared the way for the planning commission’s unanimous approval.

Neighbors aren’t all on board, though. At the public hearing, some residents argued that the drive-thru hurts the city’s effort to make Erie Boulevard more pedestrian-friendly.

They have a point because this area is already one of the busiest roadways in Schenectady. Cars, trucks, and people are constantly moving through. Adding a Starbucks drive-thru will no doubt change the traffic flow even more.

Still, the project is moving ahead. Starbucks is bringing a new option for coffee lovers in the city.

The timing is interesting. Just last week, Starbucks announced it would close several hundred underperforming cafés nationwide and lay off 900 corporate employees. But the company says it’s still focused on growth. Over the next year, Starbucks plans to refresh more than 1,000 locations as part of its “Back to Starbucks” strategy.

READ MORE: Starbucks Closing Across the US