The Newsroom Elves were kicking back in their spartan employee lounge the other day and came across an article (Jake Abbott, "Behind the Scenes - Starbucks seeks approval for two new stores", Sacramento Business Journal, Sept. 27- Oct. 3, 2024) that made their antennae perk up. Why, they wondered, would a Starbucks with a drive-thru window on Howe between Northrup and Hurley make any sense, given how frustrating traffic on Howe already is? One of them noted the proposal isn't for an ALL drive-thru Dutch Bros. coffee, like the one a block away at Howe and Hurley. Another said to be thankful it wasn't a proposal for fast food chicken sandwiches. Yet another said it might be handy for people encamped in the nearby Parkway. Finally, someone reminded the group that Starbucks ends in "bucks", meaning it's just about the corporation making money. At that point, they all had an "aha!" moment and chanted: "The County has no vision, the developer wants a profit, something is better than nothing!"

If and when the proposed project goes to the CPAC, it's a pretty good bet the CPAC would say "bless you" to Starbucks. How dare anyone bring up silly questions about things like traffic or air quality, or competion with the coffee place right across the street and the many other coffee places in the vicinity (including three other Starbucks places less than a mile away)? Both fast food and over-priced coffee without drive-thru are old style; no one wants to get out of their car anymore.  What's best for our community doesn't matter. Optimizing for an international company based in Seattle is what counts. Besides, a commercial intersection in our community is not complete unless you can buy take-out liquor and/or coffee on all four corners. Right?