Scrubby’s–Dutch Bros Retail Project Hits Design Review Roadblock; DRB to Reconsider October 29, 2025

A planned retail development at the intersection of Highway 17 North and George Browder Boulevard in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, is navigating a key regulatory bottleneck, as developers seek approval for a multi-tenant site anchored by Scrubby’s Car Wash and Dutch Bros Coffee—two brands expanding aggressively across the Southeast. The project, led by Chase Oil Company on land owned by SAMM – MT. PLEASANT LLC, spans 4.43 acres and is zoned Areawide Business (AB), positioning it to capture rising commuter and residential traffic along one of Charleston’s fastest-growing corridors.

The commercial hub is designed to accommodate multiple consumer-facing operators, including a future Zaxby’s location. Scrubby’s is slated to occupy a 4,550 sq. ft. facility with 25 parking and vacuum spaces, exceeding minimum requirements, while Dutch Bros is planned as a 950 sq. ft. drive-thru format. Both structures are capped at a proposed 35-foot height, and Dutch Bros is specifically subject to Mount Pleasant’s architectural mandates, requiring a pitched roof, wood-style façade materials, and a minimum 20% of the façade featuring picture windows.

Project Timeline and Review Outcome

The project has been progressing through design review phases since early 2025, but hit a critical pause after the town’s Design Review Board (DRB) denied final approval on September 24, 2025. The denial requires developers to address a series of design, circulation, and environmental compliance concerns before construction can proceed

Regulatory Hurdles and Required Modifications

The DRB cited multiple areas requiring revision, including:

• Reevaluation of drive aisle configuration, with a potential shift to a one-way layout

• Review of vehicle stacking capacity for high-volume drive-thru operations

• Architectural modifications to rooflines and elevations

• Enhanced grading notation and site labeling

Environmental compliance is also a key sticking point. While the site retains over 870 inches of protected and historic tree canopy, 10 historic trees are slated for removal, triggering extensive mitigation calculations. Post-construction requirements include a one-year soil injection fertilization plan to preserve retained canopy.

Final conditions include:

• Deed-restricting Low Impact Development (LID) techniques

• Mandatory field verification by the general contractor

• Owner’s approval of landscape installations prior to planting

Outlook: High-Demand Brands, Delayed Timeline

Both Scrubby’s Car Wash and Dutch Bros Coffee are actively scaling across high-growth Sun Belt markets, with Dutch Bros accelerating drive-thru formats in suburban expansion zones. The Mount Pleasant proposal plays into that trend, targeting a corridor where population and commuter density continue to increase.

However, with construction currently on hold pending resubmission and DRB approval, the development faces a timeline recalibration. If approved after revisions, the site could become a high-traffic convenience-focused node, but failure to meet the town’s stringent design and environmental standards could extend delays into 2026