FAIR HAVEN – Residents are objecting to a proposal to include a Dunkin’ Donuts in a local shopping center as the application awaits a decision by the members of the Fair Haven Planning Board.
Residents have previously asserted that fast food establishments of any kind are prohibited in the borough.
Fair Haven Retail, LLC, is proposing to include a Dunkin’ Donuts in the Fair Haven Shopping Center, 560 River Road. Initial testimony was heard in February and resumed on June 18. The application was not concluded that evening and was carried to the board’s July 16 meeting.
According to a legal notice published by the applicant, Fair Haven Retail is seeking classification as an “exempt development” for amended preliminary and final major site plan approval to permit a change of use for the tenancy, which formerly operated as Laird’s Stationary Store.
The proposed Dunkin’ Donuts is permitted and is proposed to operate in a 2,000-square-foot tenant location on the northeast side of the property facing River Road. No drive-up or exterior takeout window is proposed, according to the legal notice.
Matt Kelly, senior vice president of Metro Commercial and property asset manager, and Dan Hughes, a principal with Fair Haven Retail, answered questions posed by attorney Michael Bruno, who represents the applicant.
Hughes, who has owned the shopping center for four years, said he spent “a lot of money” renovating the shopping center, which he said was previously “very run down.” He said he believes a Dunkin’ Donuts will complement the retail site.
Bruno asked Hughes to explain how a Dunkin’ Donuts will be expected to perform alongside other retail uses such as an Acme supermarket and a liquor store.
“The shopping center is a neighborhood shopping center … It is there to serve the needs of people in the immediate community,” Hughes said. “We are not trying to draw people from 10 miles away. We are trying to bring tenants in that serve day-to-day needs. That usually includes food and services … Certainly a Dunkin’ Donuts itself serves a very good purpose.
“A lot of people on their way to work want to stop and get a cup of coffee. This center has parking … You can pull right up, get your coffee and go … There is a reason why there are 8,500 Dunkin’ Donuts locations in the United States. People like it,” Hughes explained.
Hughes said convenient food establishments are “very compatible” with shopping centers. He said the busiest time for Dunkin’ Donuts would be in the morning and he said the other existing retail uses are typically busier later in the day.
“(A Dunkin’ Donuts) would help even out the flow of traffic and parking,” Hughes said. “From an operational standpoint, it’s very complementary … We try to put in uses the community would benefit from and use.”
Board member Elizabeth Koch asked Hughes if the modest town of 6,000 residents, including children, could support a Dunkin’ Donuts, which she said is required to meet a sales quota each day.
Hughes said, “I don’t ever recall a Dunkin’ Donuts failing.”
Board members indicated it can be difficult at times for vehicles in the shopping center to turn left onto River Road. They expressed concern that vehicles associated with the Dunkin’ Donuts could make that situation more difficult. River Road is Fair Haven’s main road.
Board members also expressed concern with the points of entry motorists may use when entering and exiting the shopping center, as well as the safety of bicyclists and pedestrians. They said there are multiple points of entry and exit at the shopping center.
Residents who spoke during the public hearing expressed concern about pedestrian safety, traffic, the safety of children walking to and from school and teenagers crossing River Road to get to and from Dunkin’ Donuts.
“One of my greatest fears is that commuter traffic may find its way into our residential neighborhoods,” resident Tracy Cole said.
Resident Kirk Donaldson asked if a study has been conducted to determine how many children walk past the shopping center on any given day.
The professionals representing the applicant said neither a vehicle count nor a pedestrian count has been conducted.
“It’s naive to think cars are not going to back up in the parking lot. They back up now when you (try to) turn left,” resident Amy Dixon said.
