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Mitchell man proposing to build cafe, coffee shop drive-thru on vacant Sanborn Boulevard lot

Planning and Zoning Commission approved the plan to build a 10-by-17 foot building on the empty lot.

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Shown here is the vacant lot along Sanborn Boulevard where a Mitchell man is seeking to build a cafe and coffee shop drive-thru.
Sam Fosness / Republic

MITCHELL — A Mitchell man is planning to transform a vacant lot along Sanborn Boulevard into a drive-thru cafe and coffee shop.

Patrick Haines purchased the 417 N. Sanborn Blvd. lot with the goal of building a cafe and coffee shop on the busy Mitchell street. However, Haines indicated securing a drainage plan required by the city could jeopardize the plan.

“The plan I’m proposing here is to put a little drive-thru coffee, snack restaurant,” Haines said during the recent city Planning and Zoning Commission meeting.

The 10-by-17 foot building that Haines is proposing to construct next to Domino's would be situated in the middle of the small lot. The drawings submitted to the city show the drive-thru would wrap around the building. Both the entrance and exit of the drive-thru would be accessible from Sanborn Boulevard.

Haines purchased the lot from Mitchell property manager Boyd Reimnitz. The lot housed a residential home that was aging. Prior to Haines purchasing the lot, Reimnitz demolished the home.

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While Haines is required to submit a drainage plan to build the cafe, he claimed the improvements he’s already made on the property will eliminate drainage problems.

“The improvements to the property represent well less than 10% of the total land area, so there’s not going to be any drainage issues,” Haines said, noting he’s constructed a slope on the lot that will drain water toward Sanborn Boulevard.

Public Works Director Joe Schroeder said the key reason behind the engineer site plan requirement is to verify Haines’ drainage would not encroach onto neighboring properties.

Haines indicated discussions with local engineering firms haven’t been going well, claiming an engineer-stamped site plan could delay the project six to eight months. Haines said footing the bill for a site plan — which he claimed was $12,000 — would also make the project unobtainable.

“I’ll just withdraw my applications, and you guys can find another fella that wants to come in there, or you could purchase the property from me,” Haines said to the Planning and Zoning Commission during the May 23 meeting.

Although the Planning and Zoning Commission approved the plan with the contingency of a drainage plan being stamped by an engineer, it's unclear whether Haines will go forward with the cafe and coffee shop business.

Sam Fosness joined the Mitchell Republic in May 2018. He was raised in Mitchell, S.D., and graduated from Mitchell High School. He continued his education at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, where he graduated in 2020 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and a minor in English. During his time in college, Fosness worked as a news and sports reporter for The Volante newspaper.

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