Community group criticizes developer's decision to bring Starbucks to Lawrenceville

A new Starbucks is coming to Pittsburgh’s Lawrenceville neighborhood, and some in the community are complaining about it.

Dave Breingan, director of community group Lawrenceville United, said the Arsenal 201 mixed-use development recently agreed to a lease with Starbucks at one of its vacant storefront locations on Butler Street between 39th and 40th streets.

He said the owners of the property, Indianapolis-based developer Milhaus, met with Lawrenceville United and community members over the years, and Breingan said the developers told them they would try to court local retail to the site, not national chains.

Breingan said there was no written agreement to codify that, but he said Milhaus repeatedly expressed a desire to follow community desires for no national chains.

“That was a big priority for the community,” he said. “They had made it very clear that they were not going to lease mega chains.”

Milhaus did not respond to multiple calls requesting comment. A Linkedin post last week confirmed that Milhaus signed a lease with Starbucks at the Arsenal 201 development. The coffee shop will set up shop at the space adjacent to the Rite Aid parking lot.

The storefront that Starbucks is taking over has sat vacant for several years. The ground floor retail of the Arsenal 201 building currently houses Stride Fitness, Diesel Barber Shop, and Brooklyn Bagels.

Starbucks spokesperson Sam Jeffries said the coffee giant looks forward to moving into the Lawrenceville space in the fall of this year.

Starbucks has a large presence in the city of Pittsburgh and the region, and Jeffries said Starbucks is committed to being a good neighbor. The company has a grant program that has contributed to local nonprofits, like the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.

“Lawrenceville is a thriving community that allows all types of businesses to exist together, and customers will choose the coffee experience that is best for them,” Jeffries said. “We know our customers are passionate about coffee as well as their local businesses, and we believe independent stores and small chains can continue to grow and thrive along with Starbucks.”

Breingan said Lawreceville’s economic development strategy has been to boost local, small businesses along its commercial corridors, and that has helped the neighborhood transform into one of the more popular entertainment districts in the city.

The group said that 72% of businesses along Butler Street and Penn Avenue are locally owned.

“Small businesses have not only shaped the identity of our bustling business district, but they provide material benefits to our community,” he said.

Breingan said he is sympathetic to the challenging post-pandemic commercial real estate market, but he doesn’t understand why Starbucks was chosen when the neighborhood already has several coffee shops, including Espresso A Mano, Convive, Inkwell Coffee Roasters and others.

“There are so many great independent coffee shops that have been holding it down in Lawrenceville for a long time,” he said.