FRANKLIN First it was Hooter’s, now Starbucks. Borough residents may well be asking themselves, “What’s next, Ikea?” Although a company spokesman said no lease has yet been signed, the Franklin Zoning Board of Adjustment has approved an application for a Starbucks which would take over and replace the Dairy Queen on Route 23 near Route 517. “Although no specific date has been given, we would expect construction to begin sometime within the next six months,” said Jim Kilduff, the borough’s director of planning and community development. “They presented a very thorough application to the zoning board, and the DOT has already indicated it is prepared to issue a major access permit for the Starbucks project.” The Starbucks spokesman confirmed that the Seattle-based company has no other stores in Sussex County. Like the Hooter’s that opened last year, this would be a first. The Starbucks Corp. is named after a principal character in Herman Melville’s classic novel Moby Dick. It started business as a roaster and blender of coffee in Seattle in 1971 and has since grown to include 7,521 company-operated outlets worldwide. Among the many nations that have Starbucks locations include the United Kingdom, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, Egypt, France, Germany, New Zealand and China. There are 6,010 of them in the United States alone, according to a company Web site. The current Dairy Queen is expected to be razed. Apparently, the company will notify the Dairy Queen’s franchiser as to when it will proceed with construction, with the owner there expected to operate through the summer, the borough said. “I’m very happy that they have decided to invest in the borough of Franklin,” said zoning board chairman Dr. Paul Crowley of Starbucks. “They’re going to do a nice job, and they have a nice spot. But the Dairy Queen will definitely be missed.”