Corporate website: "7 Brew is so much more than just a coffee stand." What is the "so much more?" It isn't food. It isn't a sit-down restaurant. It's "service, speed, quality, energy and atmosphere." In other words, it's still a coffee stand, but one that customers allegedly love.
Yet on December 9, 2024, the Richardson City Council denied a request by 7 Brew to build a coffee stand on the south side of East Belt Line Rd between Plano Rd and Glenville Ave. The vote to deny was 5-2, with only Mayor Bob Dubey and Mayor Pro Tem voting to grant the permit. If this were a parliamentary democracy, I might say the leaders have lost the confidence of the body. But it's not a parliamentary system and a vote for a drive-thru is hardly consequential enough to be considered a "vote of no confidence" in the leaders. No need for any resignations, but there's a message there somewhere.
It's enlightening to listen to some of the arguments made by Mayor Dubey in favor of yet another drive-thru. Mayor Dubey: "I don't think it's really contrary to our vision." In a sign that not everyone shares Mayor Dubey's understanding of the vision, Councilmember Jennifer Justice said she was against this in 2022 and said her opposition is even firmer now that we've passed the Envision Richardson plan that makes this an Enhancement Study Area. Mayor Dubey: "I'm not 100% in favor of drive-thrus." Let's just say if he's not 100% in favor of them, it's in the high nineties. I can't recall him ever voting to deny a special permit for a drive-thru. In fact, he used the fact that there are so many drive-thrus in the area already as a reason to support yet another. In another argument, Mayor Dubey said: "I hate to tell one group that, yes, you got it, it passed. And then let's not stick by that." He's referring to a 2022 vote to permit a drive-thru for 7 Brew. The applicant let that 2022 permit expire without building, so now 7 Brew has to come back two years later and get a new permit. Mayor Dubey's claim to hate to change a vote is rich, given that the Council did just that in 2022 on an application by a different restaurant, "Another Time & Place", that was approved by the City Council in one vote only to be reversed when the formal ordinance came before the Council a few weeks later in the so-called Consent Agenda. At that time Councilmember Dubey had no problem with the Council changing its vote. But then, he got his way then, unlike in this year's vote. I guess Mayor Dubey believes, as Ralph Waldo Emerson famously put it, "Consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."
As for arguments made by Mayor Pro Tem Arefin, I'm left gobsmacked. Mayor Pro Tem Arefin: "This area needs more green...even the drive-thru will look better than what's there today." I can't think of a lower bar for a developer to clear if adding a drive-thru is considered to be adding "more green."
As said above, 7 Brew had received a special permit from the City Council on December 12, 2022, in a 5-2 vote. Councilmembers Voelker, Dubey, DePuy, Arefin, and Hutchenrider voted to allow the drive-thru. Councilmembers Justice and Corcoran voted to deny the drive-thru. There's been a City Council election between then and now. Two of those 2022 yes votes are off the Council now. Two of this year's no votes are new since 2022. That's four votes, a majority, to reverse the result. And they picked a fifth vote. This year's vote was 5-2 to deny, so that means one of 2022's yes votes, in the majority then, flipped to no this year, still in the majority (Hutchenrider). Perhaps it's the bandwagon effect. Funny how that goes.
No matter. Kudos to Corcoran, Justice, Barrios, Dorian and, yes, Hutchenrider, for bringing the promise of welcome change to Richardson's future urban landscape.
"Permits wilt away.
Hopes of brews and drive-thrus fade.
Future redefined."
—h/t ChatGPT
3 comments:
Mark, I'm Glad to hear you appreciated the results of this vote. Thank you for your dedication to being a part of the process. This article was recently brought to my attention, and hope I could provide some perspective from my viewpoint, in particular to your second paragraph.
Although you prefaced it by stating that we were not a parliamentary democracy, your comment could have been interpreted as wanting to create a divide or implying the vote was meant as a lack of confidence in our mayor or mayor pro team.
The comments below are 100% mine and in no way intended to represent the city or any member of the council. Nor have I discussed these comments with any other member of the council.
1. My vote on this or any other issue was not made to show approval or disapproval or confidence level to Mayor Bob or any other member of the Council. Many factors are weighed into a vote, but they certainly do not imply my thoughts towards any one individual, elected or not.
2. Being on the council for almost two years now has definitely given me a new perspective and appreciation for the process of government. The last thing I would want residents to think is that any vote that takes place is done so for any reason other than on the merits of that case and how it may impact our community. As community leaders, let's encourage involvement in local government, not make comments that may be seen as an implication or attempt to find meaning/hidden messages in a vote. Doing so undermines the process, and that process is arguably the most important part of Democracy.
3. I'm proud to be a member of this council because we have had discussions(sometimes passionately) in ways that we haven't always seen in previous councils. We don't always agree or "rubber stamp" decisions, but instead have open discussions, and allow the process to play out. Personally, I think that is a good thing for our community, transparency, and the democratic process. Perhaps if we start looking at hidden meanings in votes, some members of this or future councils may be hesitant to openly discuss or disagree with fellow council members or elected leadership. From where I stand, that would not be good. We are not perfect and provide plenty of fodder on what we say alone, let's not look for things where they are not said.
My apologies, I made the above comment without attaching my name.
~Councilman Dan Barrios
Councilmember Barrios, the context surrounding your vote is informative. Thank you for your feedback.
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