Sonic boom (and more)

By Nate Delesline III

Published: September 6, 2008

Sonic, Nathan’s Famous Hotdogs, Bruster’s Ice Cream and a Martin’s gas station may soon be among the familiar names in Culpeper’s growing retail community.

Wednesday, the county’s Architectural Review Board will consider plans for a Sonic Drive-In restaurant and a Martin’s gas station.

Both businesses want to build in the Culpeper Colonnade shopping center, which already is home to Target, Glory Days and Staples, among others.

And separately, a local couple is planning to open a Nathan’s Famous Hot Dog and Bruster’s Ice Cream shop in a downtown location as early as this winter.

Target shopping center growing again
According to plans submitted to the county, the 1,500 square foot Sonic building would be constructed in the corner of the center near the recently redesigned Route 666 intersection. The Culpeper restaurant would also include the Oklahoma City-based chain’s trademark drive-in stalls and an outdoor seating area.

The gas station plans show a five island fuel station with a service booth centered underneath the canopy. A Martin’s grocery store does not appear to be included in the plans.

Although plans for the businesses at the shopping center materialized last year, the county tabled them both, expressing concerns about design elements of both structures.

The original design for the gas station included “a flat canopy, a significant amount of red signage and fairly obtrusive lighting,” according to a memo from Planning Commission Director John Egertson.

That flat canopy has been replaced with a pitched roof.

In the same memo, Egertson also expressed concerns about some of the color choices and design elements of the Sonic building.

However, all of the concerns have been addressed, Zoning Administrator Sam McLearen said.

“As a staff, we’re recommending approval of both of these submissions,” he said.

Several calls for comment to Florida-based Regency Centers, the company that owns and manages the shopping center, which is located north of town, on Bus. 29, were not returned. It is not clear when the businesses might open if given the go ahead.

Hot dogs, ice cream headed downtown
Two other well-known names on the radar for Culpeper are Nathan’s Famous Hot Dogs and Bruster’s Ice Cream. Franchisee Melissa Martin says she hope to be up and running as early as this winter at a downtown location.

“It would be a co-branded store,” Martin said.

Although she declined to identify the location they’re interested in, Martin said the 2,000-square-foot site would be remodeled, not rebuilt, would offer outdoor seating, and would operate year round.

“There’s really nothing that offers that in Culpeper,” she said of Bruster’s variety of more than 40 hand-scooped ice cream flavors

“I think it’ll be a good location,” she said.

Martin said she’d be joined at work by her husband Michael, their children, and that she expects to employ about 20 other people.

‘Good sign’ says county’s economic director
All of these businesses have come to Culpeper on their own accord, said Carl Sachs, the county’s Economic Development Director.

“Generally, we don’t solicit businesses,” he said. “I think what the county needs to do and does is it identifies areas it would like to see grow through zoning. That’s about as far as we go in terms of trying to guide development.”

“Businesses all have different formulas that they use on choosing locations,” he continued. “They do that on their own — their own research, traffic counts, things like that. We don’t try to influence their decisions. That wouldn’t be a smart idea.”

“I think it’s a good sign and it’s a very optimistic sign that in the housing slowdown, there are still some major retailers and these independent operations that still have faith in the community.”

Nate Delesline III can be reached at 825-0771 ext. 110 or .

Want to go?
The Architectural Review Board will meet on Monday at 6 p.m. in the Board of Supervisors meeting room, 302 N. Main St.