Site proposal dunked by neighborhood
Published on December 18th, 2002
STONEHAM, MA - It may not be time to make the donuts at 128 Franklin Street after all.
A large contingent of residents from Franklin Street and the Brook Meadows Condo-minimum complex came out in force to voice their displeasure with the proposed Dunkin’ Donut/Baskin Robbins Development at this week’s Stoneham Board of Selectmen meeting.
The Selectmen took heed of the skepticism, and expressed concern about cars entering and exiting the donut eatery. The five member board voted unanimously to commission a traffic study from an independent consultant, and scheduled a second hearing for March 11.
“There are 20,000 cars going up and down that street during the day, and this development will involve a good number of cars entering and exiting the property on to a busy street,” said Selectman Cosmo Ciccarello. “I’ve got a lot of concerns...I’ll be perfectly honest with you. I think there’s legitimate concern that this situation could cause accidents.”
The proposed site currently houses a greenhouse on the Mac’s Landscaping portion of the property, and is owned by Gerry McCarthy. The 2,600 square foot, one story site would replace the existing greenhouse, and would become a 30 seat restaurant shared by Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin Robbins. This site would add to the prodigiously large collection of four Dunkin’ Donuts establishments already serving coffee and bagels to the residents of Stoneham.
“We sat down with the developer, and we’ve attempted to create a village climate with this particular project,” said Town Planner Mike Gallerani. “This isn’t going to look like your typical Dunkin’ Donuts.”
Gallerini, as part of the site review process, had worked with the Dunkin Donuts developers to incorporate the village style light posts and trash baskets on to the site. The site had also incorporated a gray shingle and pitched roof to help it blend into the largely residential neighborhood.
One item Gallerani and the Dunkin Donuts team didn’t take into account was the combative barrage of questions and criticism from their potential neighbors.
A full hearing room of residents hailing from Benjamin Terrace, Franklin Street, Stevens Street, Woodbriar Road and Evelyn Road sounded off a laundry list of
“There are a lot of problems with putting a Dunkin’ Donuts in our neighborhood,” said Franklin Street resident Jean Basile. “We all see the way it is now in Dunkin’ Donuts all around Stoneham. People are pulling in and out of the parking from six a.m. on, and parking sidewalks and all over the street.”
“It’s a hazard to kids walking to the high school,” added Basile. “This is also going to become a hang-out after school...I mean where do you think all the kids are going to stop on their way home from school. I don’t think this is what any of us signed on for when we bought condos on Franklin Street.”
Aside from the loitering and traffic snafus, residents were also put off by the hours of operation. Potential franchise owner Frank Pino, also owner of the franchise on Montvale Ave., requested that the hours of operation range from five a.m. to midnight.
“This taking a tough area that is busy with traffic every day, and making it worse,” said Franklin Street resident Ruth Shep. “This business will be busy seven days a week, and things will never be quiet and peaceful again. There was no thought to the taxpayers who are residents in the area.”
“We would never even be able to walk across the street and get a cup of coffee,” added Shep of the potentially busy intersection.
Several residents also questioned the proximity of the business to Stoneham High School. The developers will rely on the business of parents and children on their way to and from the high school, but residents feared the caffeine temptation might be too great.
“I think having a donut shop and ice cream store this close to a school is just not feasible,” said Franklin Street resident Shawn Minor. “It will lead to truancy and tardiness at school, and it’s just a bad idea.”
The neighbors also raised the point that traffic will be at an even higher level when both the new Colonial Park School and the KinderCare facility go on line.
“It’s inexcusable that parents would be asked to travel through two different towns to drive their children to school,” said Lauren Scippa of Woodbriar Road of Spring Street parents who may have to trek through Wakefield and Melrose to get to the new Colonial Park School.
Charlie Houghton, Attorney for the petitioner, assured that any traffic study would take the traffic potential into account. Houghton also said that the hours of operation could be a negotiable portion of the overall plan.
“We are perfectly willing to have the traffic study done, and to foot the bill for the consultant,” said Houghton. “If the consultant’s study indicates that the area is too treacherous for this use, then we’ll abide by that.”
“One thing I will say is that I have a 15 year-old son, and I’d much rather have him hanging out in a donut shop than hanging out in the woods smoking God knows what,” said Houghton. “It’s sad, but it’s a reality today.”
Town Counsel Bill Solomon advised the Selectmen to choose their traffic consultant carefully. He advised against hiring the same traffic consultant tabbed for the Franklin Street reconstruction, and instead advised to look for a completely independent consultant. Solomon also recommended a two person subcommittee to work closely with the traffic consultant.
Solomon expressed to the Board that two months would be enough time to both hire a consultant and conduct the traffic study.
Several Stoneham residents also sympathized with the plight of land-owner Gerry McCarthy, who has made several attempts to occupy the area. A fresh produce and seafood market, Fresh Basket, was the last incarnation that actually opened business at the site, but the business wasn’t nearly fruitful enough to endure.
“Gerry McCarthy has been an outstanding neighbor, and I didn’t come here tonight to attack him,” said Franklin Street resident Bob Fields. “But we’re finally getting our street back after years of water main replacements, sewer, pipe, and roadwork.”
“I’m torn between my loyalty to a good neighbor, and my loyalty to my family and my neighborhood,” added Fields. “I think our respect for Gerry as a neighbor has kept us from being really vocal.”
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