OPINION: “Do we need another coffee place?” For a few reasons, probably not

The Wheeling Planning Commission Monday signed off on yet another drive-through business on an already chaotic stretch of (st)road in Woodsdale. We argue that’s not great ‘planning’ for a few reasons.

Wheeling’s Planning Commission – a voluntary, council-appointed commission responsible for reviewing and recommending land use and development opportunities to council – met Monday, Aug. 11 and gave their unanimous approval to the Arkansas-based drive-through coffee chain 7 Brew to open a new branch in Woodsdale. For several reasons, we argue that’s not great ‘planning.’ Let’s break it down.

“Do we need another coffee place?”

That ‘devil’s advocate’ question was posited by Commissioner Howard Monroe to Bob Gage, a franchisee seeking to open the new coffee drive-through location. Monroe offered that question not from his own concerns, but in a preemptive strike to potential naysayers of the deal. Of course, Gage answered, “Yes you do. Absolutely.” And why would he say anything different? He’s a business owner seeking approval for a new business.

The problem here is that the question is valid despite its tongue-in-cheek delivery.

7 Brew is seeking to be placed at 841 National Road, where the former Spic & Span Dry Cleaners building once stood. Its neighbor is another new-to-Wheeling business, Dunkin’ Donuts – another establishment selling coffee. A few doors down you’ll find two more cookie-cutter companies selling coffee: Tim Hortons and Sheetz. That’s a lot of coffee for a roughly 1,000 foot stretch of road well-known for its traffic congestion during peak coffee hours.

Fast food chains often open near each other, or cluster, throughout the United States; and, to many people’s surprise, it typically does not decrease business for other businesses. Despite that, there has to be an upper limit to this idea. At what point does coffee become so saturated in one area that one, or more, businesses pack up shop? It’s hard to say, but four businesses next to each other offering incredibly similar services may soon reach that upper limit.

That’s reason #1 why that area probably does not need another “coffee place,” over-saturation.

Locally-owned vs. out-of-state business…

Now listen, we at Wheeling Free Press are not anti-business, but we always prefer locally-owned over corporate-owned stores sprawled throughout the country. I’m biased, sure, but coffee from Table 304 or Mugshots or Wheeling Coffee Shoppe will always taste better than Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts. And there’s a real economic reason for that preference, too. Chain stores originating outside of Wheeling can often have a lower economic output for the area than a locally-owned business. Hear me out, now.

Our friends at Table 304 live in the area and opened their shop in downtown Wheeling. Not only do they pay taxes on their business, but the revenue they earn is spent in Wheeling, too, when they go to the store, source local, get their cars fixed, go out to dinner, pay their mortgage, or invest in new properties around town. The money recirculates through the economy because they live and work here.

Chain stores, on the other hand, are often owned by people out-of-state. Mr. Gage, who is seeking to open the 7 Brew location, is listed on LinkedIn as living in Franklin, Tenn. Most of his profits will go to Franklin, not Wheeling. The location will have local staff, sure, but with potentially non-local owners and a low probability that they’ll be sourcing local for products, the economic output of their store is significantly decreased as compared to locally-owned.

Now consider the effect it may have on my, and your, cherished local coffee shops. At what point does a concentrated area of chain coffee shops – often sold cheaper due to the mass-produced supplies shipped nationally to 7 Brew’s hundreds of stores – impact the sales of, say, locally-owned Wheeling Coffee Shoppe? At what point do we see the Walmart-effect play out again, where a large corporation makes it more and more expensive for a mom and pop shop to operate. Is Wheeling better off if this happens?

Sure, Wheeling wants to see more businesses open. That’s not a bad thing. Did any local businesses look at the property to open their own business? Probably not. We’re not arguing (yet) that a chain store is inherently bad for the area, but we are adding context to the supposed economic output of a chain store and proposing a real-world consequence of a chain store snuffing out a locally-owned one.

That being said, this is reason #2 why that area probably does not need another “coffee place.”

Car-centricity and poor (st)road planning…

If you’ve made it this far, congrats! We’ve come to something I care deeply about and is the main reason I believe we “don’t need another coffee place.” It’s not an issue with 7 Brew specifically, but an issue with unimaginative “planning” authorities in the United States and their unending desire to bring every business you can find in every other town to theirs: STROADS.

What is a stroad? Great question!

Stroads are the worst combination of two types of right-of-ways. They take a road – a wider thoroughfare with faster speed limits to get people from Point A to Point B quickly – and combine it with a street – a smaller, slower thoroughfare often in neighborhoods with many entrances and exits – resulting in a road design that would make any compassionate urban planner cringe. What you get is a fast moving road with car-centric businesses lining it, each with their own entrances and exits, causing massive headaches, congestion, and unending possibilities for crashes.

National (St)Road from Mount Dechantal to Route 88 is the worst of American road design. It’s a dangerous four-lane stroad with a middle turning lane that most people don’t use correctly. Traffic lights pander to a handful of entrances and exits – out of roughly 30 in the short 1,000 foot stretch – while leaving the majority of businesses to their, and the driver’s, own devices. If you’re from Wheeling and have driven that stroad between the hours of 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., you know how crazy it can be. Cars weaving in and out of traffic trying to avoid slowing down for someone entering a business’s parking lot. This car cuts across three lanes to merge into traffic, that car almost misses their turn but slams on their breaks in the knick of time. It’s the Wild West of car-craziness, and that’s not to mention the odd pedestrian trying to navigate the mess while thousands of pounds of metal zoom by you.

There is no planning involved in this type of stroad. Instead, it shows simply a desire to fill more and more space with businesses rather than taking a step back and considering the overall safety of the road for motorists and pedestrians alike. That type of chaos should be unwelcome anywhere, especially in that area of Woodsdale where four schools and dozens of homes share the same space. Our city streets aren’t rural highway exits. Let’s stop treating them as such!

This is the third, and final, reason for why that area probably does not need another “coffee place.”

Conclusion…

Well, that’s been a journey. Hopefully not a journey as chaotic as driving 1,000 feet on National Road in Woodsdale at 5:00 p.m., but a journey no less. Let’s wrap this up in a little ribbon.

First, this is not an indictment of the Planning Commission. I imagine the body, tired from the outrage and vitriol they received when they pumped the brakes on a 24/7 carwash in a residential neighborhood (the horrors! Common-sense urban planning!), did not want to pick another fight so soon. And, it’s not this Planning Commission’s fault for the many years it took to make that stretch of National Road the way it is. So, if you’re on the commission and you made it this far, hi! This isn’t criticism of you specifically!

Second, Commissioner Monroe’s question of “do we really need another coffee place” should be treated as a genuine question. Because of the over-saturation of coffee shops in the area, the economic output of a chain store compared to a locally-owned store (and the potential that enough corporate competition could see a local store close), and the absolute nightmare that is that stretch of road due to its many, many conflict points, we argue that, no, we do not need another “coffee place” in that area.

Third, 7 Brew will be built whether I, or you, or anyone other than the city itself has a problem with it. Wheeling’s leaders are desperate for new businesses to open. Obviously. They need the increased tax revenue as the population continues to decline (but appears to be leveling off). I’m not convinced the city would turn down much of anything.

A business-friendly city is a successful city, but it’s important that success is locally-felt and supports the folks that call Wheeling home. I’m not sure 7 Brew will achieve the results the city hopes it will, and I’m further unsure it will see locally-felt success, but, at the end of the day I’m just a two-bit reporter with a lot of free time. Take this opinion or leave it!