Proposed Dunkin’ with drive thru near Elston & Foster well received at Forest Glen Community Club meeting
by BRIAN NADIG
Revisions to a proposed plan for a Dunkin’ Donuts with a drive-through facility at 5137 N. Elston Ave. were well received at the Forest Glen Community Club’s Aug. 8 meeting.
While none of the 40 residents at the meeting objected to the proposal, some urged that native species be used for tree and other plantings on the site, and others said that left turns into the parking lot could be difficult due to rush-hour backs on Foster Avenue. The 33,000-square-foot parcel borders Foster and Elston, and entrances and exits to the parking lot are planned for both streets.
Project officials said that t the nearby Dunkin’ at 5050 N. Cicero Ave. would remain because it would continue to cater to customers traveling on Cicero and that motorists would likely prefer the Dunkin’ that allows them to avoid left turns. Under the proposal Baskin-Robbins at the Cicero location would relocate to the new larger Dunkin’ on Elston.
The proposed development site is a landscaped parcel located immediately to the west of the parking lot for the Trinity Slovak Lutheran Church, 5106 N. LaCrosse Ave. and behind the Foster-Elston Auto Repair, 5157 N. Elston Ave., which would not be part of the development. The church currently owns the lot that would be developed.
The project would take 1 1/2 to 2 years to complete due to a series of required approvals, including a zoning change and a special use for the drive-through, project officials said. In addition, the city would have to vacate an alley that runs through the property.
There are no plans under the proposal to build a structure over where the alley is located on the site, and that reportedly could facilitate the process of vacating it. The alley has been unused for decades, as it is covered by grass or other landscaping elements.
Around 1950 the church paid about $250 to acquire the alley where the church building itself is built, but not the other portions of the alley on its property, a Trinity representative said.
Under the revised proposal, an approximately 4,000-square-foot building would be constructed in the middle of the property, with Dunkin’ taking about half of the space, with remainder being leased out, preferably to a restaurant, project officials said. Twenty-four on-site parking spaces are planned, and up to 15 cars could fit in the drive-through lane.
Initial plans had called for two separate buildings on the site, but only one structure is now planned.
At a meeting in February, some residents recommended that the development’s driveway on Foster not align directly with Lamon Avenue to the north due to existing traffic backups on that side street. They said that the driveway could make it more difficult to turn off Lamon, as those motorists would have to compete with drivers on Lamon for access to Foster.
Under the revised site plan, the driveway on Foster has been moved further east, away from Lamon, said project representative Ashley Purohit. Her father Max Purohit has been a Dunkin’ franchise owner for about 40 years.
Previous proposals for the site included plans for a gas station, car wash, 7-Eleven convenience store and a Taco Bell, but the late-night nature of some of those businesses generated opposition in the neighborhood. One of the earlier plans also included the auto repair site.
Purohit said that the proposed Dunkin’ would not be open 24 hours and that tentative hours would be 4 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Purohit said that the the development would include ornamental fencing and extensive landscaping, including more than 20 new trees.
The Purohit family owns and operates the recently opened Dunkin’ at 4825 N. Austin Ave. on a former Bank of America site in Jefferson Park.
Alderman Samantha Nugent (39th) said that she will ask the community club for a letter of support, opposition or no objection regarding the Dunkin’ proposal and that she will make a decision on the project after she reviews the letter and other feedback.
“It’s about making sure you guys are comfortable with (the proposal),” Nugent said.
