Planning committee reviews alley-vacation tied to proposed Dunkin' Donuts; councilors raise traffic concerns

The Planning, Community and Economic Development Committee considered Ordinance 2025-58, which would vacate two unnamed alleyways at the northeast corner of South Arlington Road and East Turkey Foot Lake Road to enable a proposed Dunkin' Donuts development.

An administration representative explained the site: one alley currently serves City Cleaners; another alley was never built. The proposed development would consolidate parcels on the north half of the site; adjacent owners would receive vacated alley strips. "They're going for a planning commission in July," the administration representative said, describing expected timing. The administration said the $32,000 public-art contract and this proposal are separate matters.

Committee members asked whether the development would enter and exit directly onto Arlington (the administration confirmed ingress/egress on Arlington) and sought more detail about left-turn storage, striping and potential conflicts with existing center turn-lane geometry. One council member urged a more comprehensive corner improvement plan rather than a piecemeal approach and expressed concern about repeating traffic issues seen at a prior Dunkin' Donuts site on another corridor.

Administration said they would consider the comments and that nothing would happen without council vacating the alleys. The committee agreed to take the matter up at the appropriate time and to allow planning commission review and public hearings to proceed.