Woodbury planning board schedules public hearing for proposed cafe at former Dunkin' site

The Village of Woodbury Planning Board on Jan. 15 scheduled a public hearing for Feb. 19 on an application to open Woodbury Cafe and Deli at 124 Route 32 in Central Valley, a space formerly occupied by Dunkin' Donuts.

The applicants, Mohammed Ola and Shafiya Ahmed, told the board the cafe would share the lot with an existing gas station and convenience store and would sell primarily packaged and premade items with a limited offering of fresh salads and sandwiches. "The proposed business will share the property with the existing mobile gas station and convenience store, utilizing the space formerly occupied by Dunkin' Donuts," Mohammed Ola said. He and Ahmed said there will be no grill, no seating, and no delivery service.

Planning staff and board members said the classification of the use is now clear and several plan details must be added or confirmed before final approval. Natalie (staff member) told the board the building inspector had opined the proposal should be treated as a retail business "which is the same as what Dunkin' Donuts would have been approved in that space." She advised the applicant to update the site plan to show that opinion and to add net lot area, setback lines, a full impervious coverage calculation, and the refuse location.

The application materials supplied to the board state hours of operation as Monday–Friday, 7 a.m.–9 p.m., and weekends 8 a.m.–8 p.m.; the applicant reported one accessible parking space within a total of 18 shared stalls for the site. The applicants said a health inspection has certified the premises and a health permit has been issued.

Board action and next steps: The board voted, by voice, to schedule a Feb. 19 public hearing, to ask the village attorney to draft a resolution of approval for consideration at that hearing, and to treat the application as a Type II action under SEQRA (no significant environmental review required). The motions were approved by voice vote (recorded in the meeting as unanimous "Aye"); individual vote counts were not specified in the transcript. The board directed the applicant to provide any outstanding site plan items (landscaping, refuse location, sign dimensions) and for the applicant's engineer and the village water/sewer administrator to confirm projected utilities use. Planning staff also said an EAF had not been submitted and should be provided if required.

Why it matters: The location is on Route 32 near Woodbury Commons and has been vacant since Dunkin' Donuts left; the board and applicants framed the proposal as a reuse of an existing building with minimal exterior changes. The confirmation of the use category and the scheduled public hearing move the application forward while staff confirm compliance with site‑plan and signage requirements.

Looking ahead: The board expects the village building inspector to confirm whether any additional approvals are needed before the public hearing; the applicants were asked to deliver updated site plans and any requested supporting materials before the Feb. 5 submission deadline so the board can act on Feb. 19.