Sheepshead Bay Starbucks Opening Delayed

Bad news for those salivating in anticipation of the new drive-through Starbucks on Nostrand Avenue: their planned opening date has been pushed back by several months.

We reported back in July that the 3454 Nostrand Avenue (corner of Gravesend Neck Road) location would open this month. Unfortunately, Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials have slammed the brakes on the project over concerns of the location of the drive-through curb cut, according to Howard Weiss, an attorney for the property owner.

Weiss said that after the Board of Standards and Appeals granted a variance giving permission to construct a drive-through in May, construction kicked off and all seemed good. But he said the MTA renovated the B36 and B44 bus shelter there, moving it closer to the corner several feet.

The result meant the bus shelter was just mere inches from where cars would exit the drive-through. Since it’s also the first stop for the B36, buses will idle in the stop, and the MTA is concerned about the traffic snafu a drive through would cause.

With the MTA  holding up the project, construction of the interior promptly halted. Graffiti and stickers now adorn that section of the building, and garbage litters the parking lot. To combat vandalism, the property owner has erected a fence to keep out intruders.

All is not lost, though. Weiss said the property owner is working with city officials to get the bus shelter moved. The property owner, 3454 Star Nostrand LLC, will spare taxpayers the burden of moving the stop, and has offered to pay the total cost of relocating it.

Weiss added that he hopes to have everything in order within the next few weeks. If all goes smoothly, Sheepshead Bay’s residents can sip Starbucks’ lattes in about two months.

Photos and additional reporting by Ray Johnson