Dunkin’ Donuts To Demolish Current Site, Build Smaller Facility

As businesses grow, they often expand, moving to a larger facility or adding on to an existing one.

Owners of Dunkin’ Donuts in Canton, however, plan to do the opposite — demolish the existing site and build a smaller building further east on the same property.

Owners say a more focused site will improve the customer experience and could actually result in increased sales from current customers. The new site is designed to include the more defined retail areas, a more user-friendly drive in and enhanced parking, lighting and landscaping.

“One of the driving forces is that the customer experience will change,” said Andrew Quirk Kratzert, Jones and Associates, a Milldale-based civil engineering firm.

The application, filed by Great American Donut of Plainville and building owner 140, LLC, calls for partial demolition at the Canton Commons Building at 140 Albany Turnpike (Route 44). In place of the current 2,515-square-foot Dunkin' Donuts, a 1,500-square-foot building will be built further east.

The zoning commission approved the plan the new facility this month, after a presentation from Quirk and some discussion of the plan itself and whether it warranted a public hearing. The company still has to appear before the Water Pollution Control Authority in January. 

At the zoning meeting, Quirk said the new drive-through would be a huge improvement. Currently customers drive into the site, travel to the end of the plaza around Joe Pizza and make their way around the back of the building, navigating around several structures. Quirk said it was a big factor in precipitating a change.

“That’s motivated Dunkin’ to try and make some improvements to the site,” he said.

The drive through system will involve a payment window on the east side of the building and a pick-up window to the north – facing Route 44. That change gets the window away from the residential side and the applicants have still agreed to extend the fencing designed to screen the site from nearby neighborhoods.

Earlier this year, the applicants worked with the town’s Design Review Team and the color of the building will be tan, with sand colored trim and fabric awnings. Hours will be the same — Monday through Friday 5:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Saturday from 5:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Sunday 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. 

Quirk said work will likely start in the spring. The revamping of a Simsbury Dunkin’ Donuts took three months but this one may take less time, he said. Initially the current restaurant and drive through will stay open during construction but the second phase will require the drive through to close and then for a short time, the restaurant itself.  

The application was considered a “modification of an existing Site Development Plan,” was not a change in use and did not require a public hearing, according to town documents.

Commission members, however, had the option of scheduling one and did discuss the issue at the meeting.

Commission member Kathy Hooker said it’s a major project, not a minor modification, and expressed some hesitation about not giving the public a chance to speak.

“It’s a little awkward for us right now,” Hooker said. “I guess I could say on the surface it (the project) certainly does look like an improvement to me, but I don’t know what the public’s going to think. All I can say is I’m a little uncomfortable just because it’s the biggest thing we’ve ever considered approving without a public hearing.”

Chairman Jay Weintraub said the uses are currently allowed and ongoing. He said the new site would only be an improvement. And a hearing involves a months-long process due to notice and decision timelines.

“I think we’d probably be wasting the applicant’s time,” Weintraub said.

Commissioner Sandra Trionfini said she also felt it was unwarranted.

“It really is the same use and it’s been there for several years now,” she said. “If anything the building is smaller than what exists now and the traffic flow is going to be better I really don’t see the need for a public hearing.”

Still one commissioner said the new site is a major change and an informational session for the public should be held.

Hooker added that the public might think of something the commission doesn’t.

“What if we all sit here and we all say it’s OK and it turns out there’s some huge issue out there and we never heard it?” Hooker said.

After some further discussion on the issue, Weintraub asked if any commissioners wanted to make a motion to send the issue to public hearing. None did but the commission did agree to further discuss the “threshold” to hold public hearings when they are not required. 

More details about the specific Dunkin' Donuts approval can be found in the Zoning Commission's draft minutes.