Planning commission hears Dunkin' Donuts minor site plan; DPW and State Highway say stopping‑sight distance meets standards as residents urge further traffic‑s

The Queen Anne's County Planning Commission on Aug. 14 reviewed minor site plan SP25‑04‑0149, submitted by Old Point LLC, to combine three parcels at 100 Old Point Village (Kent Island) and build a 1,507‑square‑foot Dunkin' Donuts with drive‑through and pickup service only.

Steve Johnson, senior planner with the county planning department, said the application requests an amended parking reduction of 19 spaces and minor site plan approval. The Town Center zoning district requires 36 parking spaces for the proposed use; the applicant proposes 17 on‑site spaces (the same number shown at concept plan). The site was granted a prior concept approval in December with a 16‑space parking reduction.

Brandon Davis, civil engineer with Davis Moore Sharon & Associates, told the commission the project would replace two vacant office buildings and reduce gross sewer demand: the Dunkin' would require 754 gallons per day of sewer allocation while the existing office buildings had an allocation of about 1,000 gallons per day, a net reduction of approximately 246 gpd. Stormwater work includes a micro‑bioretention in the front corner and a rain garden in the rear to meet Maryland Department of the Environment redevelopment criteria. To meet forest conservation, the project proposes 0.1 acres of on‑site afforestation and a fee‑in‑lieu for the remaining 0.05 acres of a 0.15‑acre requirement, Johnson said.

Traffic consultant Mark Healy (Traffic Concepts) and company data that used patronage from the busier Dunkin' across Route 50 supported the parking reduction. Healy said the applicant's queuing exhibit shows the site can accommodate about 30–31 vehicles before affecting the first parking stall and up to approximately 37 vehicles before vehicles queue onto the public road. Healy told the commission the traffic impact study followed a scoping meeting with the county and State Highway Administration, analyzed five intersections, applied a 2% compounded growth rate and included approved background developments; the traffic counts were taken in February and March 2023, he said.

On sight‑distance and safety, Healy and county Department of Public Works Project Manager Trey Porter said the stopping‑sight distance measure used the AASHTO manual and a 25‑mile‑per‑hour design speed (posted ramp speed 15 mph + 10 mph per the guidance), yielding a 155‑foot requirement that the consultant and agencies said is met. State Highway representatives said the intersection is outside state right‑of‑way but that they and the county have worked together on safety and will require conditions to prevent queuing onto the US‑50 exit; Porter said signage at the site egress warning drivers that exit traffic does not stop would be a likely condition.

Despite those assurances, more than a dozen residents and Harborview Community Association leaders urged the commission to deny or require additional study and conditions. Eric Lavazier, Harborview community president, said the intersection “is a bad intersection” and urged denial, citing past crashes near the adjacent gas station. William Ho and other residents presented counts they said showed much higher summer and weekend traffic than the 2023 counts used in the study. Several speakers cited tanker‑truck deliveries to the gas station, heavy weekend and church traffic and backups at Postal Road and Route 18; Becky Brooks and Linda Tuberkampas said backups are routine and that the site would worsen local traffic and safety.

Applicant representatives and the traffic consultant said the site is intended for drive‑through and preordered pickup only, with no indoor dining, and that the proposed internal bypass lane and queue capacity reduce the risk of outbound stacking onto Coxneck Road or the US‑50 exit.

No formal vote on the site plan was recorded during the meeting. County staff said DPW and State Highway have reviewed and approved the traffic analysis and that plan‑level conditions — including signage and adjustments to landscaping to preserve sight lines — are likely to be required as part of final approvals.

Next steps: the planning commission will continue review of SP25‑04‑0149; staff recommended conditions and coordinated agency comments will be incorporated into the final site plan record before any formal approval or vote.