Dunkin’ eyes January opening in Albion
Photos by Tom Rivers – Brian Bouchard, an engineer with CHA in Syracuse, talks with the Village of Albion Planning Board about the site plan for a new Dunkin’ Donuts in Albion.
The site plan for the new store shows 46 parking spaces and two driveway entrances for the Dunkin’, which would be 2,000 square feet plus a 230-square-foot freezer.
ALBION – Dunkin’ Donuts could have a warehouse knocked down in October and a new restaurant open in Albion in January, an engineer working on the project told the Village Planning Board on Wednesday.
Dunkin’ has submitted a site plan for a 2,000-square-foot store in Albion at 153 South Main St., between Tim Hortons and the railroad tracks. The new store would have 30 seats inside, 46 parking spaces, a 230-square-foot freezer next to the building, and a drive-through lane that could accommodate 10 vehicles.
The property would have exits on both Main and Platt streets. The project doesn’t need any sign variances from the village. Dunkin’ is seeking one sign on the building and a monument sign out in front by Main Street. There would be small directional arrows on Platt Street. Dunkin’ has tried to follow the village code to ensure the project moves forward without delays, said Brian Bouchard, assistant project engineer for the CHA firm in Syrcause.
Village officials looked at the plan the past two months and they asked CHA and the developer to try to make the store blend in with a historic district that is only a few blocks away to the north. Bouchard presented a rendering of the building last night that would have a red brick façade that will be accentuated with concrete panels and grout lines. That is a change from the initial building that was proposed to be cement board siding.
Village Planning Board members credited Dunkin’ and CHA for being sensitive to the historic fabric of Main Street.
“It fits, and everything works,” Village Code Enforcement Officer Ron Vendetti told the Planning Board. “There are no variances. I don’t see any problems.”
The project will go before the Orleans County Planning Board, which next meets Sept. 26. The Village Planning Board can’t give a final vote on the project until the county reviews it. The village may call a special meeting soon after the county meets so Dunkin’ can work to demolish a warehouse, prepare the site and get up the shell of the building before winter.
The warehouse is owned by Charles Breuilly. The building occupies almost the entire property. The Dunkin’ plan would add green space to the site, improving runoff and water quality, Vendetti said.
Dunkin’ is seeking permission from the state Department of Transportation to tie into the state’s storm drain system that runs along Route 98.
Planning Board Chairman Dan Gleason said the project is good news for Albion.
“It’s always good to see new businesses coming around,” he said. “We’re not dead.”
Gleason did voice concerns about Platt Street with the visibility near the Dunkin’ entrance and some of the fast-moving traffic on Platt.
“On that street people just go nuts,” he said.
The Platt entrance will ease some of the traffic congestion on Main Street and also make it easier for delivery trucks, which won’t have to back onto Main after making a delivery.
