Clarendon Hills Traffic Light A Separate Issue: Engineer

CLARENDON HILLS, IL – A developer's traffic engineer last week urged Clarendon Hills to separate a planned Dunkin' Donuts drive-thru from the developer's recommendation for a traffic light.

The developer, Hinsdale-based KrohVan LLC, is suggesting a traffic light at Western Avenue and 55th Street, next to the proposed Dunkin' Donuts. Neighbors have expressed opposition to the project.

In an email to the village, Andrew Hess, a traffic engineer hired by KrohVan, suggested the intersection traffic be considered separate.

"Drive-thru or not, vehicles will enter the site and pass through the intersection," Hess said.

Hess said the only potential impact of the drive-thru on the intersection is if the traffic backs up, which he considered highly unlikely.

"The concerns about the level of service on Western Avenue seem like that would be a separate issue independent of the drive-thru," Hess said.

One of the project's neighbors, Romas Rupinskas, told Patch that Western Avenue is the most critical safety issue for the neighborhood.

"To say that Western should be a separate issue is unprofessional and irresponsible coming from an engineer, who needs to be impartial," Rupinskas said. "I am an engineer and should know. It sure seems like he is biased in this matter and is trying to help justify the drive-thru. As a professional engineer, he should not be doing this. His role is to study the issue and present the facts as they are."

The only way to avoid an impact on Western, Rupinskas said, is to prohibit a Dunkin' Donuts outlet to the street.

Hess did not return a message for comment on Tuesday. Patch is also seeking a response from Jonathan Mendel, the village's community development director, on Hess' request.

The village's zoning board is planning another public hearing on the proposal on April 21.

KrohVan is seeking a conditional use permit for a drive-through for Dunkin' Donuts. The village said the traffic light is not part of the proposal for the permit.

KrohVan is proposing a 6,000-square-foot building for the southwest corner of Western Avenue and 55th Street, the site of the old Tracy's Tavern.

A third of the development would be for a combination Dunkin' Donuts and Baskin-Robbins restaurant. The rest is for a yet-to-be-determined retailer.