New Starbucks coming to Albany

ALBANY — Albany coffee lovers will soon have another convenient java option thanks to a deal that is bringing a new Starbucks corporate location to the Good Life City.

According to Mary Carter, a commercial real estate agent with Murray Webb, the new Starbucks will be located in the Westover Crossing Shopping Plaza at the corner of Westover Boulevard and Dawson Road, next to the new AT&T location.

“Starbucks has inked a deal to build a corporate store with a drive-thru,” Carter said. “We’ve been working on this for some time, and we wanted to get the word out.”

Albany currently has three Starbucks-licensed locations in Albany that are not full-service Starbucks. One of those is located in the Veranda on Meredyth Drive, one is inside Phoebe Putney Memorial Hospital and the third is in the lobby of the Hilton Garden Inn in downtown Albany.

While Carter doesn’t have any information about the size of the new Starbucks building or a time frame for construction, she said just knowing that something like this is happening is good for Albany.

Carter said lately she feels that the perception in town is that nothing ever seems to happen, despite news coming out concerning real estate deals. As Carter, who has been involved in corporate real estate in Albany since 1994, sees it, things like the Starbucks deal just take time to complete.

“People see the news and then it seems like nothing happens,” Carter said. “These deals can be complicated and it takes a long time to get them completed.”

In addition to the length of time it can take to get a deal done from a real estate standpoint, the construction planning and execution extends things as well.

One example Carter gave concerns Dunkin Donuts adding another location, this one on Dawson Road. The deal for the real estate was completed months ago, but only recently have plans been submitted to the city for approval. After approval comes the construction process, meaning the new location won’t be completed until months or years after the real estate deal is closed.

“Just because people don’t see anything doesn’t mean things aren’t happening,” Carter stressed. “Things are happening in Albany.”

Though she said she couldn’t divulge certain information now, Carter said she’s been involved in several deals that will bring new businesses to Albany in the coming years. She said a deal was just finalized that will bring a new retail store on a piece of property at the corner of Dawson Road and Old Dawson Road that was formerly occupied by Ryan’s Steak House, followed by a Chinese buffet.

Carter said she’s also had interest in the former Johnny Carino’s location on Dawson Road, which she recently began listing. Much of that interest, she said, has been generated by contacts in Atlanta that have suggested the Albany location to others.

“The Johnny Carino’s restaurant location is currently available and someone is looking at it,” said Carter. “When people are looking in Albany that’s a good thing. It’s encouraging.”