A Keller shopping center ownership group received approval to bring a 7 Brew Coffee to the property and remodel the building during the Oct. 20 Keller City Council meeting.
The breakdown
DuWest Realty applied for a specific use permit for a double drive-thru for the coffee shop at 901 Keller Parkway, which is part of a 12,000-square-foot, multi-tenant retail building that was also approved for remodeling by Keller officials.
The developer purchased a portion of land owned by Andy’s Frozen Custard, which is located at 951 Keller Parkway, to accommodate the drive-thru lanes, according to city documents.
The approval to remodel the shopping center, which is located at the intersection of Keller Parkway and Pate Orr Road, was requested because of the size and location. The shopping center was constructed in 1984, according to a council presentation.
The city will withhold a certificate of occupancy for any new business in the retail space until sod and irrigation improvement plans are approved by the Texas Department of Transportation and the developer.
“This is really the front door of your high school,” Cole Blocker, vice president of retail brokerage for DuWest, said of the shopping center's proximity to Keller High School. “It deserves better certainly than what it is today.”
The context
7 Brew is a drive-thru beverage chain offering customizable drinks, including coffee, teas, smoothies, energy drinks, shakes and flavored sodas, according to its website. The Springdale, Arkansas-based company has 17 locations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, including one on North Tarrant Parkway in Fort Worth.
The coffee shop will occupy the building’s end cap, which is currently a QuickWay convenience store. Blocker said canopy work and gas tanks will be removed during the first week of November.
A masonry enclosure for the dumpster will be added to the property and there will be paving improvements for damaged areas, said Drew Donosky, vice president of Claymore Engineering Inc., which will be working on the remodel.
Blocker said the goal is to deliver the site to 7 Brew in the spring so the company can complete the buildout of its space.
What else?
Blocker said current tenants Little Caesars, Zar, Keller Florist & Gifts, Keller Donuts and Star Sports Keller will remain in the shopping center. The property also has two vacant suites.
He added Keller Donuts and Little Caesars have long-term leases, but some changes could be coming.
“The goal is to bring in newer, better tenants to the shopping center,” Blocker said.
According to the presentation, potential tenants could include a new restaurant. Blocker mentioned the possibility of combining some of the suites to create larger spaces.
Place 6 Council Member Charles Randklev asked about Star Sports Keller’s future.
“They are a long-term fixture in the community that sells really great [Keller] Indians gear, so I hope they stick around and stay,” he said.
What they’re saying
“Thanks for investing in that area,” Mayor Ross McMullin said. “I think it’s exciting the work that you’re about to do and that’s really going to re-energize that property.”
