EDGEWATER — Construction of a drive-thru Starbucks on Broadway Street is slated to begin soon, in time for a summer opening, the coffee giant said.
The coffee joint would be made up entirely of reused shipping containers stacked atop each other, according to site plans and renderings.
The Starbucks also would have a walk-up window and outdoor seating in the summer.
Starbucks is hoping to attract Far North Side commuters heading to and from Lake Shore Drive at the 6350 N. Broadway location.
A Starbucks spokeswoman confirmed the company "will be opening a new location in the Edgewater neighborhood this summer."
Ald. Harry Osterman's office said the company still is seeking approval from the city for the drive-thru.
Osterman (48th) supported Starbucks' proposal after residents living nearby voted in favor at a neighborhood meeting last summer.
A hot dog stand occupied the lot at the southwest corner of North Broadway and Devon Avenue before Starbucks showed interest in the property.
There are two coffee shops nearby, a Dunkin' Donuts just to the south, and an independent shop, aptly named The Coffee Shop, on West Sheridan Road.
Tammie Mann, owner of The Coffee Shop, said she wasn't worried about the new Starbucks harming her business.
"I believe there are a lot of different types of people in the neighborhood," she said. "As you can tell, this is nothing like a Starbucks."
The stretch of North Broadway, speckled with empty storefronts and auto repair shops, has seen a few new businesses move in lately.
Across the street, a new bar, called "63," plans to open this spring in the former location of Hamilton's Bar, a Loyola student favorite that closed last year after 80 years in business.
Wayne Magdziarz, director of development at Loyola University, which owns the former Hamilton's building, said he hopes the sparse stretch of North Broadway will turn into a bustling commercial strip.
Last October, Osterman commissioned a study of the strip to learn what type of infrastructure improvements and partnerships can better support business on the main thoroughfare.
