A Double Shot for Daniel Island

Daniel Island coffee drinkers have reason to celebrate this week, as the news recently broke that Daniel Island resident and commercial developer Mike White concluded preliminary negotiations with retailer Starbucks Coffee on a project to develop a brand new location on Daniel Island. The agreement, between the Starbucks Corp. and White’s commercial development firm 225 SFP United, is contingent upon the plan for the project successfully matriculating through the City of Charleston’s planning oversight process. But at this juncture, at least as of last week, both parties felt confident the process would proceed smoothly to finalize an initial, preliminary agreement. Starbucks will be one of two businesses located at 20 Fairchild Street. The building, to be located in the heart of Daniel Island, will sit across the street from the new Faison mixed-use building and behind the Refuel gas station. Also planned to be located at the address is Bin 526, a boutique-style wine shop concept with a spirits element. White himself has branded, marketed, and will own and operate Bin 526 as a single, independent retail wine shop. “Barring any major hang-ups at the City we’re on pace to open up July 1, 2017,” stated White. He noted that the only hindrance to the project’s process he could foresee would be with the City, but if they can progress without delay, White can go back to Starbucks Corp. with a guaranteed grand opening date, clearing the way for their deal to become a formal agreement. The new Starbucks location will feature a number of unique design elements, including European-style setbacks from the street, a Southern-style wrap-around outside patio, an interior that is environmentally-friendly and full of natural light, and an impressive 36-foot façade. The location will utilize a 12-car drive-through lane, and as such, will dominate the western side of what is to be a dual-use building. White and his team took a carte blanche approach in designing the building. “I tasked my team with simple instructions. ‘I want you to design the most beautiful coffee shop in all the Carolinas,’ I told them. And then I just let them go…,” grinned White with pride. “I’m trying to create a really cool, lively street scene where people could walk out with a coffee and sit outside if they want. It’s designed to evoke a more European café street scene,” he added. “With respect to architecture, I think we’ve always had those influences, frankly, I think that’s a good thing. “The theory is with parking in the back, you’re welcoming from the street and you also create this sense of activity on the sidewalk,” he continued. “I think it’s beautiful and I think it’s a really good way to do it.” “Heck, in Charleston, we enjoy the outdoors ten months out of the year. I didn’t have to do it this way. For instance the long porch, I really want that to help contribute to the property’s Southern feel,” said the developer, who himself has called Daniel Island home for nearly a decade. “After all, we’re at a really exciting time for commercial development on Daniel Island, maybe the most exciting few years ahead, and we wanted this building to have a sense of place and fit in with all of that,” said White. “I think that’s what we’ve gone and done.” Jane Baker, vice president of community services for the Daniel Island Property Owners Association, feels the new addition, if approved, would be well received. “The Property Owners Association did a survey in 2014 of the businesses that residents would like to have on Daniel Island and the number one response was a Starbucks, so I think the news of this new store will be most welcome by our residents,” said Baker. The project will also serve the many new business centers moving to the area, such as the new Blackbaud headquarters building site, also currently in the planning stage, and existing local industry giants like Benefitfocus. According to White, upwards of $130 million in vertical construction is to soon be spent on the developments that will eventually surround the coffee and wine shop location. The thought that his facility, if done right, would contribute to a more connected community in the area of Fairchild St. and across Daniel Island has been, according to White, a motivating factor for his project. White believes the shop has a real chance of standing out not only with respect to other Starbucks locations, but on Daniel Island itself. “People will be able to see the Starbucks from the top of the bridge going west on 526, and still have time to pull on the off-ramp,” noted White on the topic of the facility’s visibility from the highway. Additionally, parking looks to be a manageable issue at the 20 Fairchild St. site. As currently zoned, the commercial space has been allocated a total of 36 parking spots, but White and his team are looking to grow that number by an additional eight spots, bringing the total number of parking spots potentially available at the site to 44, a generous number for a project that size. And while customers who will drive to the location are one consideration, White explained, “We’re going to have walkers, we’re going to have bikes, we’re going to have golf carts and we’re going to have cars.” “I see this as a legacy gift… my gift back to the Daniel Island community,” said White of his home community. “We raised our girls here, I love it here. I wanted to create a really special thing for the island, and I think with this little project in our way, we will.”