Coffee Competition to Increase in Maple Grove
The Maple Grove City Council has approved a new retail building in a shopping center area called The Grove. The building will be located on the corner of Hospital Drive and Maple Grove Parkway near Maple Grove Hospital. It will be occupied by a Caribou Coffee.
That particular area already has options for those in need of a caffeine fix. Daily Dose, an independent coffee shop, is a short walk away. And a Starbucks is located inside the nearby Target store.
Daily Dose owner Ben Havn says another major chain will make it more difficult, but he doesn’t plan to move.
“We’re going to ride it out. We’re going to fight it,” said Havn. “I like my 0.9-mile commute to work everyday. I live in the neighborhood. And so we think Maple Grove deserves a locally-owned, independent coffee shop. And we’re the last one. We’re it.”
Opposition to New Development
Maple Grove City Council member Phil Leith says the city received upwards of 50 emails, expressing opposition to a coffee chain moving in near Daily Dose. Leith says the city can’t control what developers bring forward.
“Our staff is not out there talking to every chain around the country trying to bring them to Maple Grove,” said Leith at Monday night’s city council meeting. “We don’t limit what kind of businesses come here.”
Leith says the Caribou project meets zoning requirements. The developer was also able to address drive-through traffic concerns he originally had.
The Grove shopping area is also expected to get busier. A Hy-Vee grocery store is still planned for a site nearby.