More than 3,000 people in the Annapolis Bayridge community signed a petition saying they wanted a drive-through at the local Zoo Coffee Shop, owner Doug Henderson said.
“After I had the shop lease under construction, I found out drive-throughs were only allowed for pharmacies and banks” in the city, Henderson said at an Annapolis City Council meeting this week. “I have mothers from Edgewater driving 20 minutes away to a Starbucks with a drive-through just so they don?t have to get out of the car in the rain or cross the road with four kids.”
The council is considering a bill that would permit drive-throughs in certain zones and establish standards for the facilities such as putting up menu boards, but council members expressed concerns about fast-food chains moving into some areas.
“I would like to hear from the Historic Preservation Commission on this,” said Alderman Richard Israel, D-Ward 1. “I don?t want to see drive throughs in the historic district.”
Alderman Sam Shropshire, D-Ward 7, said he would agree to exempting the historic district from the bill, which will be discussed further in October.
