Benderson plans North Trail Starbucks

Benderson Development filed plans with the city earlier this month for a Starbucks at 2455 North Tamiami Trail, giving a jolt to an area where business owners and residents are clamoring for redevelopment.

On June 6, Benderson filed an application for a traffic study for the proposed business. A building permit application filed with the city in May lists the project as a Starbucks. The documents say the coffee shop would be open from 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily, with 60 seats and up to seven employees working at any one time.

The property, just south of Dr. Martin Luther King Way on the North Trail, is .56 acres. The plans call for two access points, one along U.S. 41 and one on 25th Street. The proposed building is 2,200 square feet. The business will have 28 parking spaces and a drive-thru lane.

The documents list the targeted completion of the project as December 2017.

Benderson Director of Development Todd Mathes didn’t comment on the details of the project, but said the company is confident investing in the North Trail.

“Ringling College is a phenomenal local asset, and so we have all the faith in the world in the future of that area,” Mathes said.

Jay Patel, chairman of the North Trail Redevelopment Partnership, was happy to see another new development coming to the area. Patel said stakeholders want to shine a light on the changing character of the North Trail, often characterized as blighted.  

“Every small improvement is a big deal for the Trail, because it breaks the whole notion of derelict properties and a negative element walking around,” Patel said. “It’s changed quite a bit.”