Salisbury University students will soon have a third location where they can find the Starbucks coffee that they crave.
After the relocation of the Arby’s on Route 13 was announced last fall, there were questions surrounding the future of that location.
Despite a desire from many students for that lot to be purchased by the university and turned into student parking, it will instead become a standalone Starbucks.
First reported by DelmarvaNow, Fisher Architecture will handle the project and construction is set to take place shortly with the idea that it will be finished towards the end of the year.
The relocation of Arby’s which made way for the opening was brought on by a switch to more modern facilities which will be available in the newer location.
According to DelmarvaNow and an interview with Senior Advisor for SVN-Miller Commercial Real Estate John McClellan, the decision was made in light of avoiding a corporate-mandated renovation for Arby’s. This led to W.T. Hershey Properties LLC to sell the property, thus making way for the coffeehouse chain to make a larger presence.
According to Maryland public property records, the property was sold on Jan. 23 for $880,000 to InSite Real Estate. InSite has previously worked with Starbucks as a ‘build-to-suit program’ client, according to its website.
This is the fourth property purchase on behalf on Starbucks in 2018, with projects in New Jersey and Ohio as well as Hanover, Md. to take place. The Salisbury location is set to be a 2,400 square-foot property and was signed to a long-term lease.
This Starbucks will be the second freestanding location in the Salisbury area, and will also join the store’s location in Sea Gull Square. Despite early rumors that it would be a relocation of the store within Sea Gull Square, there has been no announcement of that location leaving after more than five years operating in the square.
One of the key additions that this new Starbucks location brings to Route 13 is a drive-thru, appealing to a large demographic of commuters at SU.
With the large percentage of students that not only commute from long distances to SU but also from off-campus locations such as University Orchard and University Village, this new Starbucks provides a quick and easy way to enjoy morning coffee.
The store will hope to bring some consistency to an area that has seen a fair share of departures from long-tenured fast-food joints and restaurants such as the exit of Plaza Tapatia just down the road giving way to a new Royal Farms, and also the still-vacant lot formerly controlled by Wendy’s.
The new store will have plenty of competition come opening time with popular stores like Rise Up Coffee and Dunkin Donuts just up the road. There has yet to be an official announcement regarding the new store or the potential future from the Sea Gull Square location from Starbucks.
By CHASE GORSKI
News editor
Featured photo: Starbucks in Sea Gull Square which is set to remain at the location (Megan Campbell image).