ZBA Unanimously Approves Application for Dunkin' Donuts

Medfield’s Board of Appeals on Zoning has issued a unanimous decision approving Dunkin’ Donuts application to convert the former Friendly’s building at 563 Main Street into a coffee shop at the corner of Routes 109 and 27.

Dunkin’ Donuts franchise owner Michael Cavallo (representing DLT Family Limited Partnership), who also owns the Dunkin’ Donuts at 270 Main Street, told the ZBA during the hearing process that he plans to spend $500,000 to renovate the property.

ZBA members Stephen Nolan, Douglas Boyer, and Thomas Reis determined the shop would not create a public safety hazard and approved the application with the following conditions:

• The hours of operation of the restaurant shall be limited to 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. Sunday through Saturday.

• The proposed restaurant shall have not more than 33 seats (25 indoors and 8 outdoors and not more than 10 linear feet of take-out counter, including both interior and exterior take-out counters.

• No cooking of foods shall be performed at the Property, other than heating of sandwiches and baked goods prepared off site and the brewing of coffee and other hot drinks. Cold food preparation, such as sandwich making, shall also be permitted on site.

• The garbage dumpster serving the proposed use shall be emptied on a regular basis so as to avoid excessive odors and overflow of refuse and shall be screened completely with an opaque fence, such as vinyl.

• The Applicant shall cause litter at the Property to be picked up at a minimum of daily, more frequently as necessary to keep the premises clean.

• Deliveries to the Property will be limited to one or two deliveries of foodstuffs daily and one delivery of nonperishables, including cups, napkins and the like, weekly. Delivery vehicles entering the Property during hours in which the restaurant is open for business will be required by the operator of the restaurant to enter and exit the Property on North Meadows Road.

• Any sign visible from the exterior of the Property shall be in accordance with the Town of Medfield sign by-law, and the Applicant shall obtain all necessary permits for any such sign.

• The Applicant shall remove the shrubbery closest to Main Street so as to improve the sight lines of vehicles exiting onto the Main Street and such sight line shall be kept clear of plantings, furniture and other obstructions so long as the restaurant is operated at the Property. The driveway openings along North Meadows Road and Main Street shall be widened as shown on the Site Plan.

• The police chief of the Town of Medfield, after consultation with a traffic engineer, shall have the right to restrict the driveways of the Property to one way in or out or to require the closure of one or the other of the two driveway openings if he or she shall determine, in his or her professional judgment, based on the recommendation of such traffic engineer, that public safety concerns justify such one-way limitation or such closure.

• The parking areas at the Property shall be resurfaced and such parking areas shall be maintained in good condition, with periodic resurfacing or seal-coating as needed to maintain the integrity and appearance of such parking areas.

• The walkways surrounding the building on the Property shall be replaced in accordance with the Site Plan, the landscaping at the Property shall be re-done in accordance with the Site Plan and the exterior of the building shall be refurbished and improved as described in the Applicant's presentation. All such walkways and landscaping and the exterior of the building shall be maintained in good condition so long as the restaurant is in operation at the Property.

• The Applicant shall replace the fence along the western boundary of the Property with a new solid fence of the same height as the existing fence. Such fence shall be maintained in good condition for so long as the restaurant is in operation at the Property, with any fence sections damaged or substantially deteriorated, through natural wear or otherwise, to be replaced with new fencing of the same design.

• The Applicant shall maintain the trees along the westerly boundary of the Property and shall replace any such trees with trees of the same or similar species at least eight feet in height.

• The Applicant shall have not more than eight employees on site at any one time.

• The Applicant shall obtain all necessary permits and approvals from the Board of Selectmen, the Board of Health, the Building Inspector and any other relevant Town board.

The applicant will now need to go before the Board of Health and the Board of Selectmen for a food service license.

To read the entire 10-page decision, see the pdf attached.