WESTBROOK — The Planning Board has approved plans to demolish the Main Street Dunkin’ Donuts and build a larger store to house the local franchise. 

The board on Oct. 3 unanimously approved the project, which includes razing the restaurant at 742 Main St. as well as the apartment building located behind it at 9 Stroudwater St. The approved project includes a bigger store than originally presented in a workshop last month

The new Dunkin’ Donuts will be 2,720 square feet, as opposed to the 2,100-square-foot space proposed last month. The original plan included having an additional 400-square-foot tenant space on the property, which will no longer part of the plan so the Dunkin’ Donuts can be larger. The current store is 1,935 square feet. 

Some members of the Planning Board disapproved of the revision because they weren’t notified of it until the meeting Tuesday night.

“I have mixed feelings,” Rene Daniel, vice chair of the board, said. “I do not like to be reviewing plans that tell me one thing, I come with questions, and I find out the plans I have to review are not the plans I’ve been presented. That bothers me.” 

Planning Board Chairman Ed Reidman shared similar feelings. 

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“I have no objection to the project,” he said. “It looks like it’s a good project for Westbrook and I will vote in favor of it, but I’m not happy doing it.”

The project was presented Oct. 3 by Ed Wolak, the franchise owner of the store as well as the owner of the adjacent apartment building, and Darrin Stairs, a consultant from Stantec. They said to meet demand it made more sense to utilize the whole space for Dunkin’ Donuts’ operations.

The new Dunkin’ Donuts will have additional seating and a 280-square-foot conference room for public use. It will have 25 parking spaces, up from the current 15.

The new building and parking lot will fill the parcel contained by Main and Stroudwater streets and William B. Clarke Drive. The existing entrances and exits on Main and Stroudwater streets will remain.

The 28-foot-tall building will have a pitched roof and will appear to be two stories tall. The existing roof is flat and the building’s exterior is beige, brown and orange. The new building will use darker, neutral colors and will be a colonial style building to look compatible with Westbrook’s downtown.

Also, at the request of the Planning Board, the property will be landscaped with a variety of trees and bushes. 

The Planning Board’s approval followed a public hearing Tuesday night during which only one member of the public spoke; a Dunkin’ Donuts shift manager spoke in favor of the plan.

Construction is expected to begin in spring 2018 and will take four months to complete. Wolak said he had hoped to start the project before winter, which he said is the slow season for the store, but doesn’t think there’s enough time to get it out to bid.

Kate Gardner can be reached at 781-3661 ext. 125 or kgardner@theforecaster.net. Follow her on Twitter: @katevgardner.

The Planning Board has approved a proposal to demolish the Dunkin’ Donuts on Main Street, as well as the adjacent apartment building, and build a larger store on the property.


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