Tall Starbucks sign gets recommendation from Princeton Plan Commission

Starbucks gave a sign to Princeton residents it is moving forward with the development of a new store at Main Street and Backbone Road in the most literal sense – the Plan Commission recommended approval Oct. 8 of the national coffee chain’s request to build a 70-foot sign.

The pylon sign within the city’s northern business district would be tall enough to appeal to Interstate 80 traffic. The sign is comparable to other signs used by Wendy’s and Culver’s. The Motor Lodge had a 70-foot sign across the street from where Starbucks is planning to build before Beck’s remodel of the site, demonstrating a history of these kinds of tall signs within the business district.

The Plan Commission gave its unanimous recommendation, saying that area of the community where Route 26 exits from the interstate is not going to be anything more than car traffic and that the business will depend on appealing to interstate traffic for regular business. The Princeton City Council will give a final vote on the sign.

In early September, an Aldi grocery store and Starbucks said it was interested in developing at the corner of Backbone Road and Main Street. At one of its regular meetings, the Princeton City Council approved the final plat of a subdivision for the new development. The developers sought to reconfigure the existing five parcels into three new lots, with a Starbucks slated for the corner lot and an Aldi for the central lot.