Developer seeks 10 apartments above Dunkin' site on Sandwich Road; ZBA continues review as traffic, parking and sewering questions remain

The Zoning Board of Appeals continued a public hearing on a JJEC Development proposal to add five duplex buildings (10 rental apartments) at 4 Sandwich Road — the property that currently houses a Dunkin' Donuts — after detailed discussion about traffic flow, parking and nitrogen loading in the Great Pond coastal overlay district.

Attorney Bob Ament, representing JJEC Development LLC, told the board his client plans 10 rental apartments in five duplexes, with the property’s existing Dunkin' Donuts remaining in operation. Ament said the applicants will reduce seating at the restaurant from 26 to 18 and connect both the restaurant and the new apartments to a single denitrification septic system approved by the Board of Health (referral dated 09/16/2024). He said the proposal should reduce net nitrogen loading compared with current conditions because the restaurant’s untreated flow will be treated and the calculations show a lower effluent concentration.

The project is in a B‑2 business district and the Great Pond coastal overlay district. The public notice and staff referrals reported the lot at 86,827 square feet; engineering referrals show structure lot coverage would rise to about 13.42% and total coverage including paving to about 47.58% (40% and 70% are the respective zoning thresholds). The applicant later revised the plan during the review from three buildings and 11 apartments to five duplexes totaling 10 apartments.

Board and public comment focused on circulation and safety. Board member Mark Finneran urged the applicant to address morning queueing at the Dunkin' drive‑through: “I know you don't want to do a traffic report, but I'm gonna give you one… I don't see how that's not gonna interfere significantly,” he said. Neighbors and board members asked whether the sidewalk and granite curbing along Sandwich Road should be extended or improved to protect bus stops and pedestrians; the applicant said planning staff and engineering had recommended limiting sidewalk/curb improvements to the curb cut and immediate frontage because the sidewalk would otherwise “lead nowhere.”

Planning staff and the engineering department asked for circulation changes on the site plan, including converting some aisle spaces to angled parking, converting an area to one‑way circulation and shifting a proposed children’s play area and its fence to preserve existing vegetation and add buffering. The planning board was expected to issue a site‑plan decision on Jan. 28; the ZBA continued the hearing to Feb. 27 to allow resolution of planning and engineering comments.

No letters of opposition were on file in the ZBA file at the time of the hearing; several abutters spoke at the ZBA meeting, raising concerns about traffic queuing at peak hours, the loss of woodland and privacy, and the proximity of a play area to busy vehicle circulation. The board said the application will return after the planning board completes its site plan review and the applicant submits revised plans addressing circulation, parking counts and additional landscaping buffering.