A Starbucks is coming to Bellevue.
The esteemed coffee chain will take the place of a former Burger King location that closed about seven months ago. The Boost Mobile phone store will also close, but the Subway will remain operational.
Bellevue Mayor Charlie Cleves said the deal has been in process for about a year.
“The city was not involved in it, other than they told us they were trying to do it,” Cleves said. “They asked us if we could change some wording on an easement that they had to allow for it to happen. So, six months ago or so, we changed an easement around on that property down there so that we can make this happen.”
Cleves said he doesn’t think this development will hurt the local coffee shops in Bellevue.
“Bellevue is mixed in two different factions,” Cleves said. “There’s old Bellevue, and there’s new Bellevue, and old Bellevue probably doesn’t want it, and new Bellevue is dying to get it. You know, the older people, they’re not going to go down there and buy a $6 cup of fancy coffee that’s got five words to it. They just want coffee, and they will keep going to the mom-and-pop coffee shops, Bellevue Bistro and Avenue Brew, and I don’t think this is going to hurt them one bit.”
Another project in progress for the city is a memorandum of agreement with a riverfront development company to build a hotel.
“We passed an ordinance at the last council meeting that was a memorandum of agreement,” Cleves said. “It was with a riverfront development company to develop our riverfront property down there by Lafayette; it’s next to UDF. We’ve got a memorandum of agreement with them to work toward; Now, we’re trying to get a full-blown agreement ready. So, what we’re doing is we’re trying to get them some grants, we’re trying to get them some financing. We’re working together toward an agreement where we can get some stuff [funds] for them, and it makes the whole deal worthwhile.”
Cleves said he hopes to close the deal in two to three months for the project.
“It makes it a whole lot closer now because now both sides are working towards getting this thing done,” Cleves said.
