7 Brew Coffee opened its first Springfield location in May, broke ground in July for a second location and has now filed a zoning petition for a third store.
Dennis Pronto of Brew Horizons LLC is listed as the contract purchaser on a rezoning petition filed for 3150 S. Sixth St. seeking to reclassify it from I-1, Light Industrial, to B-1, Highway Business Service District. The petition specifies that the existing building and pavement will be demolished in order “to redevelop the subject property for use as a commercial drive-in service.”
Brew Horizons LLC is a franchisee of 7 Brew Coffee, operating more than 40 locations in Illinois, Michigan, Florida and Alabama.
The most recent occupant was Kentucky Fried Chicken, although the location has been vacant since KFC abruptly closed in August 2024. That restaurant’s parent company, Yum! Brands, closed its Peoria and Rockford area locations at the same time.
According to Sangamon County tax records, the property is owned by a California investor and has a fair market value of $309,924. It was previously listed for lease at $30 a square foot.
7 Brew opened its first Springfield location at 2599 W. Wabash Ave., acquiring and demolishing a former restaurant at the corner of Wabash Avenue and Veterans Parkway. A location at 2631 N. Dirksen Parkway is currently under construction.
7 Brew, which was founded in Arkansas in 2017, has grown rapidly. The company now has more than 900 locations across 38 states, according to its website.
The Springfield Planning and Zoning Commission is slated to vote on the rezoning request at its Oct. 21 meeting. The commission will make a non-binding recommendation to the Springfield City Council, which has the final say in zoning matters.