Proposed Project Would Include Dunkin' Donuts And Italian Eatery

DARIEN, IL — A vacant lot on South Cass Avenue is being proposed for a development that will include Dunkin' Donuts and a Italian restaurant. It will be at the site of the old Phillips 66 gas station, near Brookhaven Plaza and north of Plainfield Road.

Dunkin' Donuts will occupy the majority of the proposed 3,500-square-foot building, and a drive-through lane will wrap around it, the city says in a packet of information for the planning and zoning commission. The commission will take up the issue Wednesday.

Besides the Dunkin' Donuts, the project will also include a restaurant that will prepare Italian calzones, pizza and sandwiches, said the developer, John Manos, president of Bloomingdale-based Jemco & Associates. He did not name the business.

Manos is both the owner of the property in question, 7532 S. Cass Ave., and Brookhaven Plaza, according to the city. The small size of the vacant property, the city said, has hindered previous interest and investment. When construction is completed, the Dunkin' Donuts in the plaza is expected to move to the new building, the city said.

"We believe that this is the best opportunity we have had in the past several years to develop this vacant lot," Manos said in a November letter to Darien Mayor Joe Marchese. "We foresee this to be a destination-oriented facility that will be resident-friendly and appealing for this intersection. A place where people can congregate and treat it more as a center of the town."

Manos is asking for variances from Darien ordinances. For one, the property in question is not the required two acres to develop.

In the letter, Manos said it would be a good opportunity to develop the site and create another gateway sign, comparable to the clock tower built at the center to the east, "creating a sort of portal, the City of Darien."

"While we are eager to develop this site, we have been advised by our lender and Realtors that it is very risky to develop a center this small and with only two tenants, especially when there is no franchisor guarantee," Manos said. "We have given a considerable amount of money to both tenants in order to entice them to take this space."

He said his company was asking Darien for $150,000 in support to build the building.

"This would make the site as aesthetically pleasing as the property that you constructed across the street. The amount would help fund the gateway sign, additional ornate building facade, landscaping and parking lot area," Manos said.

The planning and zoning commission will discuss the project at its meeting set for 7 p.m. Wednesday in City Council chambers, 1702 Plainfield Road.