Popular coffee chain finally gets green light for south Lexington location
Dutch Bros has finally won approval for a south Lexington location.
The Urban County Planning Commission voted unanimously Thursday to approve a zone change from a residential zone to a business zone for a two-lane drive-thru coffee shop at 2090 Harrodsburg Road, across from Turfland Mall near Springhurst Drive.
The zone change must still be approved by the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Council before construction can start.
The plans call for a 950-foot building with a patio and a 6,000-square-foot, one-story retail building at the back of the property. A tenant for the retail building has not been disclosed. The current property has a home on it.
Daniel Crum, a senior planner, said due to concerns from the surrounding neighborhood, the developer has agreed to put restrictions on the use of the retail building to exclude loud businesses such as outdoor recreation outfitters and automobile repair shops.
Dutch Bros has a location on the city’s north side at New Circle Road and Bryan Avenue but has struggled to win planning approval for a location on Lexington’s south side.
The Oregon-based coffee shop proposed putting a coffee shop on Nicholasville Road in the former “Blue Arby’s,” but that zone change was denied due to traffic concerns in the heavily congested University of Kentucky area. Dutch Bros was also denied a zone change at South Broadway and Virginia Avenue in March 2023.
Several neighbors said during Thursday’s hearing they are concerned Dutch Bros will create car back-ups on Harrodsburg Road, making it difficult to turn on Springhurst Drive.
Branden Gross, a lawyer for the landowners, said the Dutch Bros’ plan has two drive-thrus and lots of room for cars to pull onto the site and will not back up traffic on Harrodsburg Road.
