Starbucks brewing at Jefferson and Lincoln

By JENNIFER HUFFMAN
Register Business Writer

After years in limbo, a corner at one of Napa’s busiest intersections appears to have a new lease on life.

The northeast corner of Jefferson and Lincoln, just steps from Napa High School, will become home to Napa’s 10th Starbucks cafe.

The store is scheduled to open in November, according to Alan Richardson, with Starbucks’ corporate office. Seventeen to 25 employees will be hired to work at the cafe.

Starbucks also becomes one of Napa County’s newest property owners.

In April 2008, Michael Mak, owner of the one-third-acre lot, sold the property to Starbucks for $650,000.

Buying the site outright is also unusual for the chain. Starbucks typically leases its store locations.

“Purchasing property is just one of the venues we use to build new stores. A very low percentage of our openings are done this way,” wrote Richardson.

The opening comes as a surprise, given the chain’s recent announcement that it will close 600 stores across the U.S.. However, Richardson said, “We believe that there are still desirable location opportunities in the U.S., both in new and existing markets.”

Workers have already broken ground at the corner, which in the past has proven difficult to develop.

In 2006 Mak planned to build a 2,300 square foot building with two retail spaces, one a Starbucks. But he did not proceed, saying he found city requirements to create traffic signal modifications and a right turn lane on Lincoln cost-prohibitive.

Kevin Eberle, senior planner with the city of Napa planning division, said new plans for the site indicate a smaller, single-tenant building of 1,744 square feet. Development conditions, including the right turn lane and signals, remain the same, said Eberle. Entrances on Lincoln and Jefferson allow for through traffic. The cafe will not include a drive-through.

The last Starbucks to open in Napa came in two years ago at Redwood Plaza, near Vallerga’s.

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