Planning commission conditionally approves Dunkin' with dual drive‑through near Arlington Road

The Green City Planning & Zoning Commission on July 7 conditionally approved a proposal to build a 2,600‑square‑foot Dunkin' with a double drive‑through on Arlington Road, subject to final engineering signoffs and lot consolidation.

Brent Artman, an engineer representing SLW Development, described the site plan, saying the proposal includes 32 parking spaces with nine to be land‑banked, a masonry trash enclosure at the rear, an outdoor front patio and pedestrian access to the Arlington Road sidewalk. "We are proposing to build a 2,600 square foot Dunkin' Donuts restaurant with a double drive through," Artman said, adding the design would screen rooftop HVAC and match masonry at the dumpster enclosure.

Planning staff told the commission the property is in the B‑1 district, where a restaurant is a permitted use, but the drive‑through is a conditional use that requires a conditional use certificate and final engineering review. The planner recommended conditional approval contingent on final engineering, stormwater calculations, submission of stamped and sealed retaining‑wall plans, a lot consolidation replat after alley vacations record, revised freestanding sign plans including an address number, and routing for underground electric and telecommunications.

Commissioners focused on traffic and safety concerns at the nearby 619 intersection. One commissioner cited ITE trip‑generation estimates "about 230 trips in the morning peak hour" for a coffee shop with drive‑through and "about 100 trips" in the evening peak, and reported roughly three crashes per year on the nearby Arlington segment over five years. "Making a left turn out of the driveway is a pretty dangerous movement considering it's so close to the 619 intersection," the commissioner said, urging the commission to consider capacity and safety.

The applicant and a store operations representative responded that the site provides substantial stacking (21 shown on plans, with room to extend to 26–28 cars) and that typical service time from speaker to window runs about 160 seconds, which staff and the applicant said would reduce the risk of queueing back onto Arlington Road. "We have adequate stacking," Artman said; Craig Anton, a store representative, said, "from speaker to window here it's usually about 160 seconds."

The commission voted to grant conditional approval. The motion, which enumerated the conditions recommended by staff, passed on a roll‑call vote after a second was offered. The conditions require the applicant to satisfy final engineering and design submittals and to record the lot consolidation and alley vacation details before building permits are issued.

Next steps: the applicant will pursue alley vacations and the replat with City Council and submit the required engineering and sign documentation; construction was discussed as targeting a fall start with operations potentially beginning the following spring, weather permitting.