Board pauses decision on Dunkin' Drive‑Thru at Centereach after widespread neighborhood opposition; hearing continued to March 25

The Town Board convened a joint public hearing to consider a change of zone, special-permit waivers and a site plan for a proposed drive‑through expansion to an existing Dunkin' Donuts and Halal Hut property in Centereach. Planning staff described the proposal: a roughly 600-square-foot addition for a two-lane drive‑through, a revised single entrance on Selden Boulevard moved further north from Middle Country Road, and the addition of up to 22 parking spaces where fewer exist today.

Engineering and traffic consultants presented an analysis that predicted no significant roadway-level impacts on Middle Country Road; the applicants’ traffic consultant said the relocated driveway should reduce conflict at the intersection and that observed demand suggested existing parking plus the drive‑through queuing would be adequate. The applicant described noise attenuation measures for order-speaker volume, and planting plans and screening along property lines.

More than 40 people spoke during the hearing. Opponents living on Selden Boulevard, Ronkonkoma Boulevard and nearby streets raised traffic-safety concerns and said tractor-trailer deliveries would either have to use neighborhood streets or unload on Middle Country Road because the applicant’s site currently does not accommodate large tractor‑trailer turns. Several residents said the existing site already causes cut-through traffic and argued a drive‑through would exacerbate queuing and idling, create noise, and diminish neighborhood quality of life. Supporters and the store manager said a drive‑through would reduce cars circulating in the small existing lot, would provide accessible service for seniors and customers with limited mobility, and that modern speaker systems and double lanes reduce queuing.

Board members and planning staff focused on three technical issues: (1) whether large tractor‑trailers could safely perform deliveries on‑site (applicant agreed to model swept paths and submit truck-turning diagrams); (2) whether the speaker and lighting plan would create off-site noise or light intrusion (applicant proposed directional speakers and shielding); and (3) sidewalk/streetscape impacts on Ronkonkoma Boulevard where a planted median and mature trees exist. Residents also asked the board to consider temporary limits on hours of operation for any drive‑through.

Given outstanding technical questions, the board did not vote and instead adjourned both public hearings (the zoning special-permit hearing and the planning site-plan hearing) to March 25 (continued hearing). The applicant agreed to provide swept‑path truck-turn analysis, a revised landscape/sidewalk plan, and clarifications on delivery scheduling and speaker volume prior to the continued hearing.

Ending: The board continued the hearings to March 25. The record remains open and the board asked planning staff to circulate submitted truck‑turn diagrams and final landscaping and noise‑attenuation plans to the board and to neighbors before the next session.