A proposed Dutch Bros coffee shop near Hall-Kent Elementary School has stalled in Homewood after city planners agreed to loosen landscaping rules but refused to grant the drive-through full access to Raleigh Avenue, citing worries about school traffic and neighborhood safety. The project at 832 Green Springs Highway now heads to the Homewood City Council, which will hold a public hearing on the matter on November 23.
Developers with Sagemark Development presented plans for the coffee shop at the corner of Green Springs Highway and Raleigh Avenue, according to The Homewood Star. The plan calls for a 986-square-foot building with a drive-through, a walk-up window and patio seating, with no indoor dining, the outlet reported. Two drive-through lanes would merge into a single pickup window, and the site would include a customer parking area, per ABC 33/40.
The 0.61-acre lot would hold 13 parking spaces, more than code requires, with employees parking on an adjacent property, the station reported. The existing cross-access with the neighboring KFC would be eliminated as part of the project, per the same outlet.
Decades-Old Rules Stand in the Way
The sticking point traces back more than four decades. When the Homewood City Council rezoned the site in 1981, it required a 20-foot green belt along the western property line and limited the Raleigh Avenue driveway to right turns in and out only, the station's report notes. Those restrictions have remained in effect despite subsequent zoning changes over the years, according to ABC 33/40.
Dutch Bros is now asking the city to change both conditions: shrinking the buffer to the city's current 10-foot standard and opening the Raleigh Avenue driveway to left and right turns in both directions. The City of Homewood confirmed the Planning and Zoning Commission recommended reducing the landscaping buffer to 10 feet but did not recommend allowing full vehicle access onto Raleigh Avenue. Under current rules, the property owner can still reopen the existing driveway for right-turn-only access without any additional approvals.
The commission's vote on the access question was 4-2 against recommending the change, the city confirmed. Applicants have argued that full Raleigh Avenue access could offer a safer, more convenient route to the signalized intersection at Green Springs Highway, while residents have countered that restricted access could push customers onto neighborhood streets instead.
Traffic Study Finds Limited Impact, But Worries Persist
The developer commissioned a traffic study to gauge the coffee shop's effect on nearby roads. Cody Long, a traffic engineering consultant with AECOM Technical Services, presented the findings at a Homewood City Council meeting, according to ABC 33/40. Long's team collected 24 hours of traffic data from an existing Dutch Bros on U.S. Highway 31 in Alabaster and examined morning traffic, afternoon school dismissal and the evening commute.
The study projected about 65 trips during the 7 to 9 a.m. window, with 33 vehicles entering and 32 exiting, the Star reported. It also found that drivers leaving the site would wait an average of 47 seconds to turn left, with Raleigh Avenue delays increasing by no more than one or two seconds per vehicle. Long's team evaluated whether drive-through queues could back up onto Raleigh Avenue and concluded the site can accommodate expected vehicle queues during the busiest periods.
“The intersection is basically going to continue to function as you see it today,” Long said, according to ABC 33/40. The city similarly reported that a traffic study found little change to overall traffic conditions, though officials and residents still raised concerns about congestion, pedestrian safety, school traffic and drivers making risky left turns.
What Happens Next
Residents near Hall-Kent Elementary have specifically flagged worries about additional Raleigh Avenue traffic during the morning rush, when school drop-off adds its own congestion to the area. The Homewood City Council will ultimately decide whether to modify the property restrictions, and the November 23 public hearing will give residents another chance to weigh in on traffic, neighborhood safety and school travel concerns before that vote.
No construction timeline was announced during the discussion, and whether Dutch Bros will ultimately open at the site remains an open question pending the council's decision.
