South Fulton board approves Dunkin' Donuts sign and drive‑through variances at 3724 Cascade Road

The City of South Fulton Board of Appeals on July 17 approved six zoning variances for a proposed Dunkin' Donuts at 3724 Cascade Road, allowing multiple departures from the city's Article 7 overlay standards for signs and drive‑through features.

Staff had recommended approval of only one variance and denial of the others, but the board voted first to approve variances 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6, then separately approved variance 2, giving the applicant all requested variances.

The applicant's civil engineer, Brent Moy of Land Engineering and Development, told the board the company compared the requested features with other nearby businesses in the Cascade overlay and found similar permissions in practice. "What we are asking for has been allowed by multiple other businesses," Moy said. He listed Chick‑fil‑A, Walgreens, Bank of America, McDonald's, Starbucks and others as nearby examples with higher canopies, clearance bars or additional wall signage.

Board staff summarized the request at the hearing. The application (case V‑25‑005) sought multiple variances from Article 7: to increase wall sign protrusion from 2 inches to 3 inches; to increase the number of wall signs on the building from two to three; to allow three sides for drive‑through signage where only one is permitted; to raise the maximum menu board height from 6 feet to 6 feet 10 inches; to increase the canopy speaker/ordering‑system sign to 10 feet 1 inch; and to raise the drive‑through clearance bar maximum from 6 feet to 12 feet. Staff recommended approval of only variance 2 (the number of wall signs) and denial of variances 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

Representatives from Inspire Brands and the Dunkin' franchisee addressed the board. Peter Sullivan, identified as a representative of Inspire Brands, introduced himself as "Peter Sullivan with Inspire Brands, parent company of Dunkin' Donuts." Jignesh Shuthar, the franchisee and operator for the project, described technical needs for sign depth and explained safety reasoning for clearance bars and canopies. "The LED inside will create the heat and to dissipate the heat, they need enough space to kinda get out. And that's why there is an additional depth of that," Shuthar said, describing why deeper sign housings are used for modern illuminated signs. He and other project representatives also said the clearance elements are safety features to warn drivers about vertical limits.

Several commissioners said they were familiar with the Cascade intersection and its high traffic volumes and expressed support for permits that match the industry and nearby uses. Commissioner Patterson and others noted that some nearby structures predate the city's overlay and that the new Dunkin' project will be new construction: the developer said the existing building will be demolished and replaced, with new sitework, parking, landscaping and a new building. The applicant said the project team aims to obtain civil plan approvals next and had hoped for a 2025 opening if permits are issued on schedule.

During the hearing the franchisee offered a concession on the number of wall signs, saying they could reduce the count; board discussion returned to clarify motions and outcomes. A motion to approve variances 1, 3, 4, 5 and 6 passed on a voice/roll call count (ayes 4, nays 2). The board later voted to approve variance 2 as well, with the chair announcing, "Hearing no nays, ayes have it, and variance 2 is also approved." After that vote the board's actions resulted in approval of all requested variances for the site.

The board did not adopt additional conditions on the variances during the hearing. City staff confirmed there were no further outstanding issues at the meeting and the applicant was instructed to proceed with required civil and building permit reviews.

What happens next: the applicant must secure civil plan approvals and building permits before starting construction. The applicants and their team indicated they will return to permit review and plan submission; the precise construction start date was not specified beyond the applicant's general target of 2025.

Speakers quoted in this article spoke during the Board of Appeals meeting and are identified by the titles and affiliations noted in the record.