New Indio coffee drive-through moves forward

The Indio Planning Commission voted Wednesday to recommend City Council approval of a 7 Brew drive-through coffee shop on Highway 111, after negotiating a reduction in the size of the restaurant’s largest sign.

The proposed 910-square-foot restaurant would be built in the Desert Crossroads Shopping Center, south of Highway 111 and west of Jefferson Street, near the city’s border with La Quinta.

Because drive-throughs are classified as a limited land use under the Highway 111 Corridor Specific Plan, the City Council holds final authority over the project, with the Planning Commission acting only as a recommending body.

Much of the commission’s discussion centered on the applicant’s request to increase the maximum height allowed for building-mounted signs from 30 inches to 6 feet, and to permit one sign per building facade instead of one per street frontage.

“It’s more than double, and we’ve kind of been real careful with our signage, on purpose,” Chair Gloria Franz said.

A representative of the developer told commissioners the larger sign reflects the brand’s standard design and is tied to a curved rooftop architectural feature on the building.

Community Development Director Brian Halvorson compared the proposed sign to smaller signage used by other Highway 111 businesses, including Dutch Bros, before the discussion moved to a possible compromise.

After a brief recess, Halvorson proposed reducing the tallest sign by adding a 12-inch gap at the top and a 12-inch gap at the bottom, an adjustment the applicant agreed to accept.

Staff also added two conditions of approval requiring the planting of palm trees fronting Highway 111 and shade trees along pedestrian pathways on the site.

7 Brew Coffee is based in Arkansas, the Indio project represents its first store in California. Another is also being developed in Coachella.

The item now advances to the City Council for final consideration.

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