Is a Dutch Bros Coffee coming to Downers Grove?
Yes. The Village Council voted unanimously on September 8, 2026 to approve a Dutch Bros Coffee drive-thru and a companion retail building at Ogden and Saratoga Avenues, reversing a 5 to 1 recommendation for denial from its own Planning and Zoning Commission.
Most development approvals in Downers Grove move through quietly. This one took two months, an 800-signature petition, a delayed vote, and a commissioner sitting in a drive-thru line in Melrose Park to see the traffic for himself.
Tuesday night it passed unanimously.
What Was Approved
The project covers two long-vacant lots at 1205 and 1219 Ogden Avenue. Dutch Bros takes one. The other is planned for a roughly 4,000 square foot multi-tenant retail building. The work happens in two phases.
To get there, the Village Council approved a planned unit development, an alley vacation, a special use permit allowing the drive-thru, and a zoning map amendment.
Why It Almost Didn't Happen
The Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed the proposal on July 6 and voted 5 to 1 to recommend denial. Chair Michael Rickard cast the only vote in favor.
The objection was never the coffee. It was the intersection. The site sits near Herrick Middle School, and also near the Downers Grove Township Center and the Downers Grove Area FISH Food Pantry on Saratoga Avenue.
Renee Mazour, who lives on Saratoga, noted that most Illinois Dutch Bros locations she has seen sit in large shopping centers built to absorb that volume, and described the Naperville location near Ogden and Iroquois with 50 cars wrapped around into the industrial office area. Mary Kay Holmes, who works with seniors at the township center, raised concerns about traffic affecting their programs.
Ninety-five residents submitted written feedback against the proposal before the commission meeting. The opposition petition eventually passed 800 signatures.
The Delay That Changed the Outcome
The Council was set to vote on August 18. Instead it postponed, to get more information on projected vehicle stacking and how traffic from nearby schools would interact with the site.
Commissioner Rob Roe had done his own research. According to Patch, Roe visited the Melrose Park Dutch Bros and experienced 17-minute wait times with vehicles stacking up to 30 cars.
What Won Them Over
Containment. Roe's position Tuesday was that the queue has to stay on the site. If the project can be contained where it needs to be, and it is not leaking onto Saratoga or Ogden, he said he does not anticipate the congestion residents have raised concerns about.
A Dutch Bros representative also told the Council that the Darien location will open before Downers Grove does, which should help absorb the early demand that typically surges at a new store.
Mayor Bob Barnett emphasized that the proposal aligns with use of the property already permitted under Downers Grove village code. Addressing residents disappointed by the outcome, Barnett said there are perhaps dozens of elements of the plan that are now different, and in his view better, as a function of their input.
At the August 4 meeting, Bryan Gay, president and CEO of the Downers Grove Economic Development Corporation, had estimated the location would generate roughly $70,000 in annual sales tax revenue. Commissioner Martin Tully pointed to two decades of work revitalizing Ogden Avenue, the site's TIF district status, and the signaled intersection, calling the parcel a clear underperforming property.
What This Means for the Corridor
Ogden Avenue has been a redevelopment target in Downers Grove for twenty years. This corner joins Andy's Frozen Custard and Steak 'n Shake as part of that effort, and a vacant lot becoming an active commercial use is a net gain for the tax base and the streetscape.
For anyone living near Ogden and Saratoga, particularly families whose kids walk to Herrick, the traffic pattern at that corner is going to change. Whether the site contains its own queue the way the Council expects is the thing to watch once the drive-thru opens.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where will the Downers Grove Dutch Bros be located?
At the intersection of Ogden Avenue and Saratoga Avenue, on two lots at 1205 and 1219 Ogden Avenue.
Did the Village approve the Dutch Bros proposal?
Yes. The Village Council voted unanimously on September 8, 2026 to approve it, after the Planning and Zoning Commission had voted 5 to 1 in July to recommend denial.
What else is planned for the site?
Dutch Bros occupies one lot. The second is planned for a roughly 4,000 square foot multi-tenant retail building, with the project moving forward in two phases.
Development along corridors like Ogden Avenue shapes the neighborhoods around them. If you are thinking about a move in Downers Grove, call or text Rob Brannigan at 847.609.0570 or visit robbrannigan.com.
Additional Resources
- The Lucky Monk Is Now Open on Butterfield Road
- 750 Curtiss: The 138-Unit Building Replacing the Old Village Hall
- Forest Pointe: What's Being Built at Forest and Gilbert
Written by Rob Brannigan (IL License #475.164040), RENE + SRS. Lifelong Downers Grove resident. Data-driven guidance for sellers and buyers in Downers Grove and surrounding communities.
