Two new chain restaurants are looking to build locations on a vacant lot in Hartwell.
At a Jan. 27 meeting, the Hartwell Planning and Zoning board recommended the rezoning of a 1.9-acre lot on East Franklin Street for the proposed placement of a Dunkin’ and a Firehouse Subs. The lot sits across from the intersection of Franklin Street and Ridge Road. The developers asked for the rezoning to allow for a drive-thru, which is not allowed in B1 zoning, but is allowed under B2 zoning.
The sketched design calls for two separate buildings, side-by-side, on the near two acres of land.
Dunkin’, formerly known as Dunkin’ Donuts, is a Massachusetts-based coffee and donut restaurant with approximately 9,382 U.S. locations in 45 states and territories. Firehouse Subs is a fast-casual restaurant chain started in Jacksonville, Fla. by former firefighter brothers. Sub sandwiches and salads are served at the franchise’s more than 1,200 locations.
The zoning board voted to recommend approval with two conditions: The developers work with the department of transportation for traffic mitigation and allow the city an easement to work on the creek in the back of the property.
“That’s already a little bit of a bottleneck area,” Hartwell economic and community development director Jason Ford said. “That’s [the Department of Transportation’s] right-of-way so really DOT is going to direct a whole lot of the traffic issues through there.”
Ford said the property has two cut-ins. At the hearing, the developers said DOT prefers only one entrance and exit and the developers are willing to follow DOT recommendations.
“There is a creek on the back of the property,” Ford said. “We did ask for a recommended condition to be able to have access to do any necessary repairs to the creek so that there’s no downstream problems.”
The rezoning request is scheduled to be on the city’s council’s agenda for the Feb. 7 meeting.