Starbucks back on the table in Dixon

DIXON — Starbucks could soon be coming to Dixon.

Andrew Goodman of Northbrook-based GMX Real Estate Group is petitioning the city for a special-use permit to build a Starbucks with a drive-thru.

It would be located next to Arby’s, 1650 S. Galena Ave.

In 2019, Arby’s former owner Heartland Beef Inc. asked the city to subdivide the property to make way for a coffee shop next door, and the City Council approved the request.

The council referred the GMX petition to the Plan Commission on Monday, and it will likely go back to the council next month for a final vote.

Prior talk about bringing a Starbucks and Dunkin’ to town was met with some community pushback with concerns that the national chains would take away business from local coffee shops.

Mayor Li Arellano Jr. has said that the local shops have their place in Dixon, and their customers will continue to be loyal.

“The coffee wars are going to be in full swing in Dixon,” he said.

GMX also built the Starbucks in Ottawa as well as fast-food restaurants and other developments in several cities.

In June, the council approved a permit for Dunkin’ franchise owner Asif Rajabali, of Niles, to build a Dunkin’ at 420 N. Galena Ave. after the project was delayed a year because of the coronavirus pandemic. He also built the Dunkin’ in Freeport.

The project is still in a preliminary stage.

The city has been trying to land a coffee chain for years – its neighbors in Sterling opened a Starbucks in late 2017 and a Dunkin’ came to Rock Falls around the same time.