Board grants variance for 7 Brew drive‑through at Walden Avenue, conditions DOT traffic review

The Cheektowaga Board of Appeals on May 20 granted variances to allow a 7 Brew drive‑through to locate at 1593 Walden Avenue, subject to conditions addressing traffic safety and roadside maintenance.

Anthony Pandalfi, project engineer with Carina Wood design, told the board the project will merge four parcels and create a drive‑through‑only coffee outlet with a single access off Pepe Place, two drive lanes for stacking and about 35 on‑site stacking spaces — notably more than the 19 stacking spaces cited in code. He said the proposal includes closing one curb cut on Walden Avenue, adding landscaped green space along Walden and Pepe Place, and establishing emergency exit access to Dale Road.

Board members pressed the applicant about traffic because the New York State DOT had asked for a queuing analysis and a formal traffic study; Pandalfi said the project team has submitted the proposal to DOT and will conduct a traffic‑management analysis and mitigation as needed. Based on DOT concerns, the board approved the requested variances but added two conditions: that the applicant receive DOT traffic‑study approval and that the strip of land between the parking lot and the road be maintained.

Why it matters: Drive‑through facilities on busy corridors can cause queuing and spillover onto public roads; the board made approval conditional on DOT review to ensure safety and traffic flow are evaluated and mitigations required if necessary.

Next steps: The planning board and DOT will review the traffic study and queueing analysis; staff will withhold final municipal sign‑off until DOT and any required traffic‑safety commission recommendations are satisfied.