North End Starbucks proposal appears dead following mayor’s opposition

Plans for a Starbucks as part of a major retail development at the gateway to Boston’s North End, right across from the Rose Kennedy Greenway, appear to be dead.

In a July 6 statement, Mayor Marty Walsh asked developer Charter Realty & Development to withdraw its application to open the Starbucks as part of its retail project at 198 Hanover Street. Since the developer lacks the necessary city permits for the project, Walsh’s opposition is probably enough to tank it.

“After hearing the concerns from residents about sustaining the culture and historic nature of the North End, I encouraged the applicant to withdraw the proposal to locate a Starbucks at the entrance to the North End,” Walsh said in the statement.

Some residents’ pushback had been particularly scalding. They said that such a presence at such a prominent spot in the North End would spoil the feel of the neighborhood. It would also encroach, they said, on the caffeinated turf of existing North End coffee shops.

But the Starbucks would have joined a national coffee chain that’s already on the block: Peet’s at 50 Salem Street. And the Starbucks would have replaced a decidedly pedestrian Citizens Bank branch.

Charter’s Hanover Street plans stretch back to 2016, and the final composition is unclear. Stay tuned.

• Boston’s Walsh opposes North End Starbucks proposal [Globe]
• Starbucks in Boston’s North End apparently grounds for controversy [Curbed Boston]
• North End retail development’s design rankles the neighbors [Curbed Boston]