Board hears planning updates: Dunkin' Donuts site on hold; community garden proposal discussed

At the Feb. 20 meeting the Norton Parks and Cemetery Board received updates on two planning items: a commercial site plan for a proposed Dunkin' Donuts and a citizen proposal to re-establish a community garden on city park land.

Planning staff reported the Dunkin' Donuts proposal next to Grandpa's Cheese Barn is on hold and was treated as a preliminary site plan because the applicant must complete a traffic study. Staff said the project would require a shared driveway with Grandpa's Cheese Barn and that the intersection is a high-traffic area because of the nearby high school. "It was supposed to be a permanent site plan, but it turned into a preliminary site plan because they have to do a traffic study," a staff representative said. Board members discussed options such as tying the site into Panther Way to manage student pedestrian movement and noted that a traffic counter planned for Valentine's weekend may not have been deployed.

Separately, volunteer Jamie Lukens raised the idea of reintroducing a community garden on park land, referencing prior gardens off Summit Road. Board members said Mr. Lukens had spoken with City administration (staff member Markley) and that volunteers could handle lot measuring and plot organization. The board discussed possible locations, including land by Holiday Heights, and operational questions such as parking, plowing and seasonal preparation. "He said he would handle the measuring of the lots," a board member said of Mr. Lukens' offer to organize volunteers.

Neither the Dunkin' Donuts item nor the community garden proposal resulted in formal action at the meeting; staff and volunteers will continue to gather information and return to the board with concrete proposals and traffic data when available.