A national coffee company that has been particularly popular in the western U.S. is looking to open a new shop in Lexington, but it hit a hurdle Tuesday night with a town of Lexington board.
Dutch Bros. Coffee, which has nearly 1,000 locations across the U.S., with particularly strong representation in states such as Texas, California, Oregon and elsewhere, is planning a 950-square-foot drive-thru and walk-up location at 5211 Sunset Blvd. in Lexington. It would be constructed in a portion of what is currently the parking lot of a Lidl grocery store.
On Tuesday evening, the town of Lexington’s board of appearance, which hears appeals from town’s staff as to whether proposed projects fit the town’s architectural and appearance standards, voted unanimously to deny the current design proposal for the coffee shop. However, it invited the project’s developers to adjust the plan and resubmit the proposal.
Among issues with the design of the proposed building, a town staff planning committee said in board of appearance paperwork that it “felt that the design of this building did not adequately incorporate the general physical character of its adjacent neighbors, which are primarily constructed of red or brown brick, tan stucco or tan/brown stone.” The staff also noted that the “individual corporate image dominates the overall design of the building,” rather than complementing the architectural styles of nearby properties.
“I think the architect needs to go through and say, ‘What do you do to make a building that looks like Lexington?’” board of appearance member Wayne Rogers said. “I think we’re softer colors, we’re brick. The nearby buildings say something about all that. I would look at the exterior materials and say, ‘How do I tone this down?’”
Steven Knudsen, of North Carolina’s Durban Development, spoke on behalf of the Dutch Bros. project at Tuesday’s board meeting. He signaled a willingness for the company to work with the town on refining details of the proposed coffee project.
“We’re certainly willing to go back to the drawing board as far as materials, incorporate a little more brick,” Knudsen said. “Obviously trying to keep with some of the colors and branding that go with the corporation. But, I understand the concerns.”
The proposed Dutch Bros. site is along a busy commercial thoroughfare with a wealth of commercial businesses nearby. A shopping center anchored by a Lowes Foods store is directly across the street. Meanwhile, the Hope Ferry Center, a brick shopping center that features McAlister’s Deli, Learning Express and other businesses, is a short distance to the east.
Another issue the board and staff members mentioned is the need for greater detail about a potential three-foot fence or wall on the property that, along with landscaping, would be used to “screen” or buffer it from Sunset Boulevard and the neighboring road Tom Corley Place. Specifically, staff cited in its report a need for detail about the materials that would be used to construct such a fence or wall.
Board of appearance members noted Lexington is amenable to new businesses, but said they also wanted to make sure developments adhere to town standards.
“I want to truly celebrate new businesses coming and being interested in investing in our town,” board member Amelia Pocta said. “That’s awesome. But, we also have to be protective of making sure that we maintain the town.”
This story was originally published February 12, 2025 at 12:29 PM.
The State
Chris Trainor is a retail reporter for The State and has been working for newspapers in South Carolina for more than 20 years, including previous stops at the (Greenwood) Index-Journal and the (Columbia) Free Times. He is the winner of a host of South Carolina Press Association awards, including honors in column writing, government beat reporting, profile writing, food writing, business beat reporting, election coverage, social media and more.