BY LAUREN MATTHEW
Staff Writer
OLD BRIDGE — Mimi Road residents George and Mary Gonzalez don’t have anything against Dunkin’ Donuts.
But they fear their quality of life will be compromised if the restaurant, complete with a drive-through lane, is allowed to move in behind their home.
An application is currently before the Planning Board that would convert Jimmie’s Ice Cream shop on Englishtown Road into a Dunkin’ Donuts with a drive-through. The proposal comes from the Manasquan-based Lufrankton Management.
Though a previously scheduled hearing for Dunkin’ Donuts has been pushed back to March 1, the Gonzalezes and their neighbors have already been fighting the application.
“I really don’t want a drive-through,” Mary said. “A lot of work is involved for what they want to do.”
“We don’t think it’s practical or appropriate,” her husband added.
The application would require relief from the board in the form of four bulk variances and two design waivers.
The doughnut shop would be the first drive-through in that area, according to Ward 6 Councilwoman Lucille Panos, who has voiced her concern over the application.
“I wouldn’t have a problem if [the application] met all [township] requirements,” she said. “I don’t think that for the first drive-through there should be variances.”
Though almost all businesses on Englishtown Road abut residences, Panos said that approving an application with this many variances could set a precedent and cause other applications for the area requiring variance relief to go through.
“The board should consider whether it is practical to develop this site, considering the number of variances required,” acting Township Engineer Parminder Sumal said in a recent memorandum.
But Luis Garcia, a managing partner with Lufrankton who operates Dunkin’ Donuts shops in Spotswood and Marlboro, contends that the variance relief is normal.
“You go anywhere, you need variances,” Garcia said. “We’re not asking for anything unreasonable.”
George Gonzalez, in an e-mail sent to Mayor Jim Phillips in January, discussed his concern for potential problems that building the drive-through would cause. He fears safety and health issues could arise since plans show the garbage disposal for Dunkin’ Donuts located 15 feet from his back fence.
A January memo from the Old Bridge Environmental Commission said the commission is concerned about the impact on residences directly behind the site. The agency noted that the buffer zone is proposed at 12 feet, though township ordinance requires 50 feet.
That buffer is vital, George Gonzalez said. Ripping out the existing trees to widen the Dunkin’ Donuts lot could cause flooding, and there are already area residents who have to run sump pumps certain times of year as it is.
“The trees are very, very important,” George said.
A big cause of concern for residents is the size of the existing lot versus the size of the building Lufrankton wishes to build on it.
The existing lot that houses Jimmie’s Ice Cream is a little larger than half an acre. For the size of the building that Lufrankton would like to place there, the minimum lot size, according to township regulations, should be 1 acre.
“They’re basically trying to squeeze a square peg into a round hole,” George said.
Parking may also be an issue. For an establishment the size being proposed, the Dunkin’ Donuts is required to have 70 parking spots, while 14 are in the current designs.
George contends that inadequate parking could result in cars being parked in the street, which he said could have an impact on traffic carrying children to and from the nearby Voorhees Elementary School and Jonas Salk Middle School. The safety of pedestrians and area children riding bikes could also be compromised, he said.
Garcia disputed the idea that his application would create a dangerous situation.
“I wouldn’t do anything to hurt the community,” Garcia said.
According to the current design plan, no loading space is provided for delivery trucks, though one is required. The Gonzalezes say they are concerned that trucks would cause traffic back-ups on Englishtown Road, which has one lane in each direction.
“We don’t need this congestion,” Mary explained.
Mary said she worries that if one drive-through is allowed, others will follow.
“If they were to keep the building the way it is and make it a Dunkin’ Donuts, that’d be fine with me,” she said.
The Dunkin’ Donuts would be open from 6 a.m. to 1 a.m., according to the application.
“This is a residential area,” Mary said.
Garcia said there has been miscommunication regarding the proposed operating hours. He said residents have been characterizing the doughnut shop as a 24-hour operation.
The Gonzalezes handed out fliers in the neighborhood, Mary said, so that those beyond the required 200-foot notifying radius would be aware of the plans.
“[If they’re not] within 200 feet, they really didn’t understand the magnitude of this,” she said.
Thirty-one residents live within that radius and were notified.
Garcia and attorney Jonathan Heilbrunn, who represents Lufrankton, met with concerned residents last week to discuss the plans.
“He’s trying, but he wants to be prepared before going to the Planning Board,” Mary said of the attorney.
The meeting, George said, was “a dog and pony show,” with little accomplished. Heilbrunn discussed the application, George said, but did not commit to any changes. George asked for a list of other Dunkin’ Donuts shops Heilbrunn has been involved with that also required several variances.
“I’m looking forward to that list,” George said.
Garcia said the informal meeting was meant to address the concerns of residents, and not many residents seemed to have problems with the proposal. Problems that were brought up were discussed, Garcia said, adding that the only person who seemed to be against the application was George Gonzalez.
“We’re more than willing to address any issues,” Garcia said.
Heilbrunn could not be reached for comment for this story.
The Dunkin’ Donuts application is scheduled to be heard by the Planning Board March 1 at 8 p.m.