Dunkin Donuts opened its location on East Franklin Street in June 2017 and quickly filed an application with the Town of Chapel Hill to establish a drive thru, which are highly regulated in Chapel Hill and throughout Orange County.

Chapel Hill Mayor Pam Hemminger said all Dunkin Donuts locations are designed with space for what’s described as an internal drive thru. That allows for traffic to be managed on the property rather than flowing onto the street.

“The drive thru stays on the property, so the cars aren’t coming and going,” Hemminger said. She added that the town was concerned about pedestrian and cyclist safety through the area.

Hemminger said that since the potential drive thru would be housed on the current Dunkin Donuts property near Estes Drive, then there would not be a need for another curb cut to be added for access.

A concept plan application submitted in the fall of 2017 contended that “to go” orders made up “more than half” of the restaurant’s customer traffic, “with most such customers expressing surprise that there is not a drive-thru window service option.” The plan goes on to say that “many customers are observed stopping behind the store when no menu board is encountered and only then seeking a parking spot to go inside for their order.”

The applicant wrote that buffering would be provided to shield sight of the drive-thru window from the road. The plan would alter the driveway north of the Dunkin Donuts to be an entrance only and would expand the patio space.

While the application was submitted last fall, there has been no formal action by the Chapel Hill Town Council on the proposal.

A public information meeting on the proposal is scheduled for 5:15 p.m. Thursday in the first-floor conference room of Chapel Hill Town Hall.

Public meetings would need to be held by advisory boards before any vote could be held by the town council.

More information is available here.

Photo via Town of Chapel Hill

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