Starbucks Drive-Thru Planned For Shirley: Councilman

SHIRLEY, NY — The owners of the shopping center with Applebee's plan to file with the Brookhaven Town Planning Department for the construction of a Starbucks drive-thru at the location, according to Councilman Dan Panico.

The councilman said does not expect any additional curb cuts onto Montauk Highway and all existing ingress and egress to the center will remain the same. In a Facebook post, he said that he will post the plans once they are filed.

Panico met with the owners recently and they indicated that they have tenants for nearly all of the former Staples building, he said, adding that those details will be "forthcoming once the deal is finalized."

His post quickly sparked a debate about yet another corporate coffee shop coming into the Mastic-Shirley area. Some followers were not happy with the news given its close proximity to Tend Coffee just across the street.

"We don’t want it!!! We are fighting this!!! Tend is right there," wrote one man. "Stop destroying small business."

A woman wrote: "Now everyone should go to Tend Coffee and support them! Shop your local mom and pop stores!!"

But the councilman noted that the owners do have the right to construct the business because their land is zoned commercial.

Once the owners file, the application will be reviewed by and eventually set down for a public hearing before the Planning Board, Panico said, adding, that a hearing will be advertised and will "likely be months from now."

"People in favor, against, or just wanting to attend the hearing can do so and speak and ask questions," he said.

In a statement to Patch, a Starbucks spokesperson said: "Starbucks is always looking for great locations to better meet the needs of our customers and we are continually evaluating our store portfolio."

The company is focused "on serving our customers in nearby communities and unfortunately have no details to share about a potential location in Mastic-Shirley, NY," the statement concluded.

In addition to Applebee's, the location also has a Chase Bank, AT&T store, Aldi's, and a Walgreen's.