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player ready...A proposed Dutch Bros Coffee location near 75th Street and Naper Boulevard was tabled indefinitely Tuesday by the Naperville City Council, as the company works on traffic and safety concerns for the drive-thru coffee shop.
According to City Attorney Michael DiSanto, the request came from the business so it can “continue to process the input that they’re receiving and work on the proposal.” Representatives for Dutch Bros were not present at the council meeting.
“I think what’s advantageous for the petitioner on this matter is that they know there’s still some work to be done and so it gives council the option to take it off the table in the future, when it’s ready to be reconsidered by the council, without necessarily having to send it back to PZC (the Planning and Zoning Commission),” DiSanto said.
DiSanto also noted that the council could send the proposal back to the Planning and Zoning Commission at any time if they feel an additional review is needed.
When Dutch Bros went before the Naperville City Council on Oct. 7, its plans for the drive-thru coffee shop at the Market Meadows Shopping Center received significant pushback from council members.
Although the proposed location has the support of neighboring businesses, including Jewel-Osco and US Bank, council members were concerned that the Dutch Bros would generate traffic congestion issues and create a situation similar to that of nearby drive-thru coffee shop, 7 Brew. At that meeting, council members asked Dutch Bros to come back with a revised traffic management plan before voting on the matter.
Naperville residents also have voiced concerns about the possible Dutch Bros location, with one person speaking against the proposal at the meeting.
“However, if the project does move forward, we really urge you to require meaningful design changes to make it safe and compatible with the surrounding community,” said Jamila Husein, who lives just south of Naper Boulevard and Market Avenue.
Husein also noted that as a nearby resident who takes walks in that area, there’s already “so many near misses getting into and out of that parking lot.”
“We love Naperville because it balances growth and livability,” Husein said. “We’re simply asking for that same balance here to ensure new development enhances the community rather than overwhelming it.”
Ten people also wrote in opposition of the proposal for the meeting. Many of the comments cited frustrations with navigating the Market Meadows parking lot and traffic on 75th Street and Naper Boulevard as a whole.
“I am a frequent shopper at the Jewel location and find that traffic is already impossible without trying to locate a popular coffee shop in that small area of the parking lot,” wrote Naperville resident Susan Ekkebus.
One person who lives outside of Naperville also sent in a written comment in support of the Dutch Bros location.
“I understand there are concerns about traffic, especially with another competitor like 7 Brew in the area,” Zoran Kosic wrote. “However, I believe Dutch Bros can coexist successfully by implementing thoughtful traffic management strategies and working collaboratively with city planners.”
Dutch Bros did not immediately respond to a request for comment. An attorney representing the company also did not immediately return a call Wednesday morning.
“There are a lot of people in this community that have expressed concerns … I think the petitioner had the opportunity to address some of those concerns and they haven’t been to this point,” Councilman Ian Holzhauer said. “I think it’s just a reminder to all developers that come in to take the concerns of council seriously, and the concerns of the community seriously.”
While the plans were tabled indefinitely, revised traffic management plans for the Dutch Bros location were included in the agenda for the Tuesday council meeting. Those plans, which took into consideration specific concerns from council members, included de-emphasizing Market Avenue usage, re-striping the Jewel parking lot to ensure pedestrian safety and highlighting existing traffic controls on and off-premises.
Dutch Bros also wrote that they plan on opening 28 to 34 locations in the Chicago area by the end of 2026.
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