Starbucks, Panera aim for busy spot in Oldsmar

The coffee shop and bread-themed restaurant are planned for the traffic-heavy intersection of Tampa and Curlew roads.

By ED QUIOCO, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published July 12, 2002

OLDSMAR -- The vacant apex of two busy roads could become the trendy spot in town, offering java lovers a place to get to-go cappuccinos in the morning and freshly baked focaccias for dinner.

A Tampa-based property development company submitted plans this month for a Starbucks and a Panera Bread restaurant at the intersection of Tampa and Curlew roads. If all goes as planned, the coffee shop and restaurant could open next summer at the triangular piece of property.

The development company was attracted to the area because of the city's strong growth over the past few years, said Brad Douglas of HuntDouglas Real Estate Service Inc, which submitted the plans.

"That market has grown and matured rapidly to support this kind of . . . high-end retail," Douglas said.

Panera Bread, which features freshly baked bread with specialty sandwiches and soups, would be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Plans show that the 1,600-square-foot Starbucks would feature a drive-through.

Both would be housed in a 6,100-square-foot building with access on Tampa and Curlew roads. Visibility from two busy roads is one of the advantages to the location, Douglas said.

According to traffic counts submitted to the city, the portion of Tampa Road next to the proposed complex gets more than 39,000 cars a day and the portion of Curlew Road gets more than 18,000 cars daily.

"They will be highly visible and it will be a good action spot for them," said Kevin Gartland, president and CEO of the Oldsmar Upper Tampa Bay Regional Chamber of Commerce.

In order to make the property big enough for the development, HuntDouglas will have to combine two parcels. One has a vacant convenience store and the other has a vacant First Union bank. Plans call for demolishing both buildings.

The company has a contract to purchase the properties and plans to close on the purchase in October. The project will take about about six months for construction, Douglas said.

The city staff currently is reviewing the proposal and is scheduled to meet with the developer next week.

The development is the latest in a growing number of restaurants that either plan to come or have already come to the city. That list includes a Steak n Shake, a Sonic restaurant, a Beef O'Brady's and a Ruby Tuesday.

"The variety of dining is starting to get pretty big around here," said Nick Staszko, the city's community development director.

The restaurants are drawn to the city in part because of the traffic on Tampa Road and also because of strong growth in new neighborhoods filled with high-income households, Staszko said.

Not only can the Starbucks and Panera Bread draw from the traffic on the two busy roads, but they also can attract customers from the nearby 20-screen movie theater and the large East Lake Woodlands subdivision.

"It's a growing market up here," Gartland said. "For years and years all we had here were the mom and pop, locally owned restaurants. But in the last few years, the major chains have realized there is a lot of traffic through here."

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