Broista

Dutch Bros set to open in Conroe. Published September 15, 2026 at 12:00 a.m. CT Editor's note: This article is based on a Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing. Community Impact will update this story when more information is available. According to a July 20 TDLR filing, a new Dutch Bros location is set to open in April 2027. Two-minute impact Project documents show the total cost is estimated at $250,000, and the project will mainly involve renovations and alterations to an existing building. The proposed Dutch Bros will be located inside the Crossroads Shopping Center. Construction is set to begin on Dec. 16 and is estimated to be completed by April 14. * Estimated completion: April 14 * 1100 W. Davis St., Conroe * www.dutchbros.com

Dutch Bros survives land use dispute amid Indy's push for walkable development. Indianapolis Star Updated Sept. 15, 2026, 4:10 p.m. ET Two years after an initial rejection, plans to build a Dutch Bros Coffee are moving forward on Indy's far east side after overcoming pedestrian-friendly zoning laws along the future Blue Line bus corridor. Dutch Bros, the popular drive-thru coffee chain that opened its first Indiana location last year and now has four Indianapolis stores, received city approval for a variance from transit-oriented development standards Sept. 15 to build a shop just south of Washington Square Mall. The approval comes as businesses along Washington Street repeatedly face obstacles from transit-friendly zoning rules, which aim to preserve real estate along the future Blue Line for walkable commercial districts and housing. Transit advocates argue zoning laws passed in 2021 must be enforced to reclaim the car-centric sprawl along the major roads that now host the Red, Purple and Blue Line bus lines. But business groups and many neighbors, including east side City-County Councilor Michael-Paul Hart, say the rules can stifle development by setting unrealistic standards in places where large parking lots and car-oriented businesses are the norm. About three miles west of the Dutch Bros site, a Wawa convenience store and gas station won approval to skirt development rules after a monthslong battle last year. Just south of Washington Square Mall, advocates with Central Indiana Cycling are fighting for trail connections and safer pedestrian infrastructure at a proposed Panda Express set for a hearing in October. The city denied Dutch Bros' first attempt to build a store at the same site in November 2024, despite the fact the lot at 10220 E. Washington St. had been unused since a Golden Corral restaurant closed in 2020. The site sits just north of a future Blue Line bus station, which brings enhanced zoning restrictions. At the time, city staffers recommended denial because Dutch Bros failed to meet zoning standards including a required "bypass aisle" in the drive-thru and storefront window transparency. Amid more complaints from pedestrian advocates, the city's Board of Zoning Appeals reached a split decision this August, automatically setting up another vote Sept. 15. But opponents backed down ahead of Tuesday's vote after concessions from Dutch Bros, including wider sidewalks and improved pedestrian connections, and board members approved the proposal without debate. Hart, who represents District 20, said the city shouldn't stifle burgeoning development on a section of East Washington Street that's become hollowed out in recent decades. Hart spearheaded the process of forming a vision plan for how to rebuild the area around Washington Square Mall, which remains open but is replete with vacant storefronts. "All of these things are now coming to East Washington Street and that revitalization is happening," Hart said during the Sept. 15 meeting. "I will die on a hill to support all of these petitions to make sure they happen, because that's what people elected me to do." The Dutch Bros will sit next to a strip mall and a Bank of America branch that's already being built, Hart said. Jakob Morales, an advocate with Central Indiana Cycling, told IndyStar his group has started targeting small wins in negotiations with developers as city boards repeatedly show their willingness to override transit-oriented zoning rules. An east-side resident, Morales noted that the Washington Square Mall vision plan said multi-modal connections should be a priority, not an afterthought. "By having this really basic infrastructure - it's just sidewalks - we're making sure that people can access the destinations they need to go to for shopping or work in a much more safe and dignified manner," Morales said. As the Board of Zoning Appeals approved Dutch Bros, it also granted a variance from zoning rules to an O'Reilly Auto Parts store that seeks to take the place of a former Dollar General in a strip mall at 2001 W. Washington St. City staff had recommended denial because automobile service and repair shops are banned on lots larger than a half-acre in transit-oriented development districts, but board members advanced the plan anyway. Email Indianapolis City Hall Reporter Jordan Smith at [email protected]. Follow him on X @jordantsmith09 and Bluesky @jordanaccidentally.bsky.social.