New Hope officials believe the hearing could continue throughout the summer.
By: Linda Seida
NEW HOPE A public hearing on a proposal to bring a Dunkin’ Donuts to the heart of the tourist and historic district lasted more than two hours last week, and it likely will drag on through the summer.
The hearing will be continued July 9, and testimony from the applicants’ witnesses could extend into the Borough Council’s August meeting, Borough Manager John Burke said.
Joe and Joni Glassman of New Hope, who own a Dunkin’ Donuts in Richboro, Pa., want to establish another doughnut shop and a Baskin-Robbins ice cream shop at the corner of Bridge and Main streets.
A restaurant or shop such as the one proposed is permitted according to the borough’s zoning, but it requires the council’s approval as a conditional use.
The proposal has attracted attention because of its prime location and the fact it is a chain, very few of which are located in New Hope. One of them, a Starbucks coffee shop, sits at the foot of the bridge, across the street from where the Glassmans want to erect their Dunkin’ Donuts.
The couple’s attorney, Martin King, last week presented several witness in support of the proposal, one of whom testified the shop’s color scheme would be understated, not the signature Dunkin’ Donuts orange and pink.
Another witness, Frank Cosner, the town’s former fire chief and a real estate agent, addressed the history of the site and said he did not believe the shop would be a disruption.
The building’s owner, Tony Hipple, gave testimony concerning the interior changes that have been approved by the town’s Historic Architecture Review Board.
Mr. Burke said those changes are not related to Dunkin’ Donuts, and HARB approved them before Mr. Hipple received the Glassmans as his tenants.
The council’s concerns regarding vehicular and pedestrian traffic were not addressed that night. The council has asked the Glassmans to provide traffic studies.
The proposal has incited strong feelings. The couple’s attorney erupted during an earlier council meeting, claiming borough officials are holding his clients to a different standard in an attempt to thwart the application. The borough manager has denied the allegation, saying they are being treated no differently than any other applicant.

