Officials said the drive-through lane at the new Starbucks was going to be open on Tuesday morning, Feb. 27. But that was not the case. 

The new coffee shop opened earlier this month, on Feb. 9, but the drive-through lane, the first of its kind in Barrington, had been blocked off by traffic cones. (As of Tuesday morning at about 8 a.m., the lane was still blocked by cones as a construction crew worked on a section of the drive-through lane.)

According to Barrington Town Manager Phil Hervey, there were some discrepancies between the approved plan and the actual construction of the crosswalk connecting the East Bay Bike Path and the Barrington Shopping Center. 

“The plan just showed a different configuration,” Hervey said during an interview on Monday afternoon, Feb. 26.

Joe Paolino, the owner of the Barrington Shopping Center, which is home to the Starbucks, said the issue was being rectified. 

During an interview on Monday, Paolino said the contractor had obtained a certificate of occupancy from the town so that the drive-through lane could be used starting Tuesday, Feb. 27. 

Meanwhile, work on the crosswalk and surrounding infrastructure was expected to continue. 

Hervey added: “We want to make sure there’s enough striping and signage, so cars aren’t flying through there.”

Unique drive-through

The drive-through lane at the new Starbucks is the first restaurant drive-through lane in Barrington. 

While there are some drive-through lanes for banks and pharmacies, there had not been any for restaurants in town. That changed when zoning board officials approved a special use permit more than two years ago. 

That permit allowed Paolino to maintain a key tenant in the Barrington Shopping Center. During the permit review process, some zoning board members voiced concerns about the construction of a drive-through lane in the center. Ladd Meyer said he was worried the traffic might back up, similar to the traffic issues witnessed at the Starbucks in Seekonk. During the meeting, Paolino agreed to pay for a police traffic detail in the center should traffic become a concern. 

The approved plan for the drive-through lane shows an entrance located between the drive-through exit and a regular travel lane. The drive-through has enough space to fit 13 or possibly 14 vehicles. 

The plan also includes a crosswalk leading from the bike path across the middle of the drive-through lane, along a section of median, and then across the exit of the drive-through lane. 

At the northern edge of the drive-through lane — where it curves back to the pickup window — there is a bump out of concrete that is intended to slow pedestrians before they cross over the travel lane toward the bike path. 

“…visually you want a separation, so you stop at the crosswalk,” Hervey said.