Starbucks interested in Fairhaven Plaza retail center

The southside soon may be getting a new Starbucks in a retail center that is going through major changes.

The Fairhaven Plaza, which is on Old Fairhaven Parkway near Interstate 5, is planning to have a drive-through Starbucks sometime in the late spring of 2016, said Ryan Martin, a Windermere commercial real estate agent who is listing the property with broker KC Coonc.

The cafe will go into the southwest corner of the retail center, near the 30th St. intersection. According to a planned development permit that was recently approved by the city, the size of the proposed coffee house would be 1,928 square feet, slightly smaller than the Starbucks store at Sunset Square.

It will be part of a major makeover taking place at the retail center. Construction crews are finishing up work on a 6,000-square-foot retail building that can be broken into four tenant spaces. Nearby, a liquor store was downsized to make room for a Subway sandwich shop and one other tenant. The retail center is anchored by Whatcom Farmers Co-op, which moved into the 40,000-square-foot space three years ago.

Martin said he expects the available spaces to be filled with a mix of retail and professional services, adding that it can appeal to local residents in the area as well as travelers looking for a quick stop.

“It will turn into more of a traditional retail center,” Martin said, referring to the idea that it has several different tenants in one area rather than just two. The change also has meant adding the Fairhaven Plaza name to designate that retail center.

If Starbucks goes into the Fairhaven Plaza, it will be the 11th Starbucks in the Bellingham city limits. The new Subway is the 13th in Bellingham.

This story was originally published October 26, 2015 at 9:20 AM with the headline "Starbucks interested in Fairhaven Plaza retail center."