Third Starbucks may be coming to White Plains

A third Starbucks outlet may be opening in White Plains sometime next year when construction is completed on a new building at 250 Mamaroneck Ave. in the city. Southern Land Company through Mamaroneck White Plains LLC is building The Juliette on the approximately 1.32-acre site where the former White Plains YMCA building previously stood.

Attorney Neil Alexander of the White Plains-based law firm Cuddy & Feder has filed documents seeking to amend the previously approved plans and Special Permit for the eight-story building with 177 apartments. The developer wants to increase the retail square footage that has been approved for the building from 1,876 square feet to 2,196 square feet in order to accommodate a Starbucks Coffeehouse as a tenant. It also seeks to change the number of two-bedroom and three-bedroom apartments without changing the total number of apartments in the building.

The developer wants to decrease the number of two-bedroom units to 51 from the approved 53 and to increase the number of three-bedroom units to 12 from the approved 10. This would result in a mix of 12 studios, 102 one-bedroom units, 51 two-bedroom units, and 12 three-bedroom units. The change in the apartment mix slightly reduces the parking required for the residential portion of the project and compensates for the slight increase in required parking for the increased square footage of the retail component.

The slightly expanded retail space and existing number of dwelling units would require 269 parking spaces. The developer is providing 258 spaces within structured parking on-site and is paying the city a $240,000 fee for the on-site spaces not being provided. Alexander notes there is no change to the overall footprint, height, aesthetic, look, total unit count, recreation fees or affordable housing buyout. The developer is paying the city $3,157,875 for its affordable housing fund rather than provide affordable housing units within the development. In addition, the developer plans to pay the city $556,500 for not providing sufficient park and recreation facilities.

The White Plains Common Council referred the application for the changes to accommodate a Starbucks store to various city agencies, boards and commissions for review.

Starbucks currently is at two locations in White Plains. There is a Starbucks Cafe at 9 City Place in the Target store at City Center. Starbucks also is at 200 Main St., at the Renaissance Plaza fountain at Mamaroneck Avenue and Main Street.

As of March 31 of this year, Starbucks had 38,951 locations globally, with 16,600 in the U.S. Slightly more than 50% of the stores were operated by the company with the balance licensed to operators.