WATCH: Here's what will replace a famed former Taco Time

A new Starbucks will fill the vacant space that a former and beloved Taco Time once operated in.

Lawmakers signed off on the development permit that was supported by city staff. A similar plan to build a branch of the famed coffee chain came before city hall in 2019.

The former Taco Time was torn down, but it didn’t go without a fight.

The Dilworth Shopping Centre staple operated for 40 years before meeting its demise in May 2021. The owner lost a lengthy legal battle against the Vancouver-based landlord who wanted to see the lease taken over by Starbucks, according to media reports at the time. In the process, a petition was even launched to try and salvage the fast-food joint.

According to planning documents, the developers are looking to rebuild a similarly sized building. It will have the typical corporate Starbucks look.

The drive-thru promises to have a bounty of landscaped features for buffering between it and Highway 97.

Both Coun. Ryan Donn and Loyal Wooldridge asked staff if the concept of limiting new drive-thrus in the city was under consideration.

Development Planning Manager, Terry Barton, said staff are not working on any policy specifically targeted at drive-thrus, but higher-level reports that aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and car dependency in Kelowna will come before council eventually.

The next opportunity council could address drive-thru development, he said, is when the zoning bylaw comes up for review later this spring.