June 19, 2019 by Carol Britton Meyer
A proposal to build a Dunkin' Donuts takeout restaurant (without a drive-through window) at the former Weber Dodge and most recently, an auto detailing shop at 315 Lincoln Street in front of the new Avalon II apartments at the Hingham Shipyard is making its way through the town review process. Panek Donuts LLC is the developer.
"We're about to talk about my two favorite topics -- coffee and donuts!" quipped Planning Board Chair William Ramsey at last night's joint Zoning Board of Appeals and Planning Board hearing.
According to Traffic Engineer Jeffrey Dirk, about 90 percent of the customers that would be expected to stop by during the peak morning hours are heading in that direction anyway on the same side of the street, toward the commuter boats or further on toward Quincy and other destinations.
No left turns would be allowed into or out of the site -- "right in, right out [only]," Dirk said. About 200 vehicles would enter and exit during morning peak hours. A "No U Turn" sign might be installed at the intersection of Lincoln Street and Fottler Road to discourage such movements, although Dirk said there's such limited space to do so that he doesn't think too many motorists would try it anyway.
The one-story 2,070-square-foot restaurant, if approved, would have 14 inside seats and 10 on an outdoor patio. The proposed design is a wood-look with pink and white DD color bands and otherwise neutral colors and may include a graphic depicting a scene reflective of the Shipyard's history as do some other buildings in the area. There would also be a canopy-covered walkway. The landscaping would be done by River Hawk, the same company that did the Avalon landscaping to provide consistency.
Attorney Jeffery Tocchio, representing the applicant, believes the planned 25 parking spaces would be adequate. In fact, comparisons with other super-busy Dunkin' Donuts shops in the area bear out that expectation. Case in point -- the highly-visited Whiting Street Dunkin' in Hingham, which has about the same number of parking spaces.
Despite some social media posts expressing concerns about traffic, a preference for a different brand of coffee shop, and the close proximity to the AJ's service station Dunkin' Donuts just up the street, no residents spoke at the hearing.
New ZBA member Paul Healey asked whether AJ's will continue to offer Dunkin' products. The answer is no, according to Tocchio. "They're looking for someone else to [move into the space currently occupied by Dunkin']," he said.
But "there's supposed to be a Dunkin' Donuts on every corner," Ramsey joked.
The hours would be 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. seven days a week, with deliveries of fresh donuts and other items every morning at 4 a.m. "Dunkin' doesn't make donuts on-site anymore," quipped Dirk.
The hearing was continued until July. Check the town website for dates and times.
It would be nice if these kind of articles left Hingham citizens with the impression that William Ramsey takes these decisions seriously.
In my humble opinion. Needs landscaping. Tone down of colors. Elevation work. Signage tone down. See the hingham discussion board. Some ideas and photos there.