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As Tri-Valley residents and workers settle into life without six familiar Starbucks stores that closed over the weekend, renovations are underway for the coffee giant to open in a new shop in Livermore – albeit a few yards from an existing location.
Starbucks is taking over the shuttered Burger King restaurant space at 4341 First St. in Arroyo Park Shopping Center, with the company planning to open the new store and close its other coffeehouse a stone’s throw away at 4333 First St. in the same retail complex. City spokesperson Sonia Lee confirmed the news when Livermore Vine inquired about construction going on at the property.
Key differences between the two tenant spots are the new location will be a larger, standalone building and have a drive-thru, whereas the existing store is walk-in only and a smaller corner unit in another building in the shopping center.
City staff approved the site plan and design review modification application from Starbucks in early September after nearly eight months of review. “The project involves interior tenant improvements and exterior changes, such as new signage for the building and the drive-through,” Lee said. “Because the changes involve only tenant improvements, new signs, and reuse of the drive-through facility, only staff level review and approval was necessary.”
The city has been told that the company hopes to complete construction, open the new store and close the existing one before the end of the year, according to Lee. The Starbucks stand inside the Safeway grocery store in Arroyo Park remains in operation too, for now.
