Dunkin’ plan for Albion passes county

File photo by Tom Rivers – The new Dunkin’ Donuts will be next to Tim Hortons on Route 98, once the white warehouse is demolished and the new restaurant is built.

ALBION – The Orleans County Planning Board gave its blessing for a new Dunkin’ Donuts in Albion, a project that calls for removing a warehouse between Tim Hortons and the railroad tracks.

JFJ Holdings of North Andover, Mass., is pushing for the new Dunkin’. The company wants to tear down the warehouse owned by Charles Breuilly of Albion.

Planners backed the project during tonight’s meeting. However, some of the board members expressed concerns about the Platt Street driveway. Planners agreed having that second entrance and exit will help alleviate some of the traffic from Main Street.

But planners wondered if an additional turning lane may be needed for the Platt Street driveway, and if a traffic device may be warranted on the Dunkin’ site to allow for drivers from both Main and Platt streets to take turns entering the drive-through.

County planners left it the Village of Albion Planning Board to consider whether a traffic device is needed for the driveway near Platt Street and if a turning lane should be added at the Platt Street driveway.

JFJ is willing to pay for any needed improvements, but the company wants to wait a year to see how traffic is working at the site and on Platt Street, said Ron Vendetti, the village code enforcement officer. The company agreed to add traffic flow improvements after a year if they are needed, with village officials getting the final say on the issue, Vendetti said.

Planners said they expect customers will learn how to best maneuver on the site. But planners welcomed the option for the village to review how the site is working after a year.

Dunkin’ wants to build a 2,000-square-foot restaurant at 153 South Main St. The project also includes a 230-square-foot freezer and cooler. The site will have 46 parking spaces. It adds green space to a site that currently is almost entirely occupied by the warehouse.

The Village of Albion Planning Board is expected to give a final vote on the project at 7 p.m. Oct. 2 at Village Hall on East Bank Street. Dunkin’ wants to begin demolition in October. The company is eyeing a January opening for the new store.