I want to put in upscale tenants. I want to try to make it a miniature Garden City.”

Barrington Shopping Center owner Joe Paolino

A last minute plea by Joe Paolino during Thursday night’s zoning board meeting saved the plan to build a new Starbucks restaurant with a drive-through lane in the Barrington Shopping Center. 

The Barrington Zoning Board of Review had initially appeared to vote against granting the special-use permit for the drive-through lane. Zoning board members Ladd Meyer and Paul Blasbalg had voted against issuing the permit — Mr. Meyer said he was worried about the potential traffic issues that could possibly be caused by the drive-through lane, while Mr. Blasbalg said he had safety concerns.

Mr. Paolino, who owns the Barrington Shopping Center, approached the microphone and spoke passionately about the issue. The former mayor of Providence said the world of retail had changed and it has grown increasingly more difficult to find businesses to anchor the shopping center. (The storefront space that will host Starbucks had been previously filled by Jos. A. Banks, Staples, and Cherry and Webb.)

“I need Starbucks to be an anchor tenant,” Mr. Paolino said. 

He added that Starbucks was not going to move to the new location unless they had a drive-through. Mr. Paolino, directing his comments mostly to Mr. Meyer and Mr. Blasbalg, said voting against granting the special-use permit was voting against the future of the Barrington Shopping Center.

Mr. Paolino asked why he should invest any money in the center if Barrington officials were not going to support the effort. He also said that if the Starbucks plan was denied, he would be visiting the town’s tax assessment board of review and having the Barrington Shopping Center’s taxes reduced.

“I need your help,” Mr. Paolino said. 

He asked the zoning board members to request something from him that would allow them to vote in favor of the special-use permit. 

Zoning board member Mark Freel said that while he did not support everything Mr. Paolino had said, he believed that a vote against the special-use permit was a bad vote for Barrington businesses. He said rejecting the drive-through lane would negatively impact many businesses in town.

Mr. Freel then asked Mr. Meyer if there was any chance he could change his vote on the permit. Mr. Meyer said he could support the application if there was an agreement by the shopping center to supply a police detail to help with traffic issues in and around the center should the drive-through lane cause heavy vehicle back-ups.

Mr. Paolino quickly agreed to the measure, and the zoning board took a second vote, this time approving the special-use permit 5-0. 

‘Miniature Garden City’

Following the meeting, Mr. Paolino thanked members of the zoning board for voting unanimously in favor of granting the permit.

“I think it will help the shopping center,” Mr. Paolino said. “I think it will help us to recruit additional tenants there. This is a premier tenant. The people of Barrington are the ones who are going to use it. The residents of Barrington, which I’m a former resident of, are the ones who are going to be in the drive-in lane.

“So what the zoning board did tonight is to … allow the residents to have convenience and have accessibility to one of the premier retailers, which is Starbucks.”

Mr. Paolino said his father had purchased the Barrington Shopping Center property many years ago, and was always very proud of it. He said his comments were filled with passion because he was speaking on behalf of his father, who had passed away eight years ago. 

“My father bought this when I was 11 years old. I lived at 9 Barton Avenue. I remember when he bought it… he always thought this was the most important property he was fortunate to own. I want to continue that legacy. I want to upgrade this center. I want it to become a beautiful village for the community,” he said, adding that the approval from the zoning board will help him achieve that goal. 

“I think it helps, because now I have a clear vision because if Starbucks is going to be here, now I can fill the rest of those vacant stores. And it took eight months to go through this process. You have to have patience, you have to have some fortitude, and you have to learn to bite your tongue.”

Mr. Paolino spoke with emotion during the meeting and at one point, drew a sharp response from Mr. Blasbalg. During the exchange, Mr. Blasbalg asked Mr. Paolino if he thought it was a good policy decision to stand before the zoning board and insult public officials. 

Mr. Paolino said he was not trying to insult anyone.

After the meeting concluded, Mr. Paolino said he did not want to put “cheap tenants” in the Barrington Shopping Center.

“I don’t want to have fortune tellers as my tenants,” he said. “I don’t want to have a low class of tenant that’s not really going to service the people of Barrington. I want to put in upscale tenants. I want to try to make it a miniature Garden City. And I can’t get those big retailers anymore. What I have to do is make sure I have the right mix of tenants, and Starbucks is very important.”

As the meeting broke up and Mr. Blasbalg began leaving the town hall council chambers he offered a brief comment: “I have concerns that if you let the snake out of the basket you can’t put it back… I feel very strongly that the only reason I changed my vote was the commitment to monitor the concerns and hopefully they won’t materialize, and hopefully if they do they can be dealt with.”

Other boards

According to information provided as part of the application, the drive-through lane at Starbucks would run along the western side of the building. It could accommodate more than 10 vehicles in the queuing line.

Improvements associated with the work include a new crosswalk area connecting the East Bay Bike Path with the Barrington Shopping Center. 

The Barrington Technical Review Committee recently reviewed the plan and recommended some minor changes — some additional signs where the bike path connector is located, more shade trees, and compliance with ADA requirements. 

Both the TRC and the planning board voted in favor of the project.