Honey Dew Donuts a slam dunk for Stoneham Square
Published on March 26th, 2008
STONEHAM, MA The Selectmen endorsed a site plan letter this week for a Main Street eatery that will end Dunkin' Donuts' virtual monopoly in the Stoneham doughnut sector.
Earlier this month, the Selectmen unanimously backed a proposal that will renovate the long vacant building at 362 Main Street and bring a Honeydew doughnut shop to the Stoneham Square area.
The new fast-food breakfast eatery would be placed at the site of the old Blue Parrot Cafe, located at the corner of the Town Common and the municipal lot sandwiched between Main and Central Streets.
According to local attorney Charles Houghton, representing the Lynnfield owner of JFK Donuts, his client was prepared to make substantial renovations to the building for the 12 seat Honeydew shop.
“The interior will be extensively renovated,” said Houghton, explaining that the structure's flooring will be completely gutted. “It will be a good new addition to the square, and there haven't been a lot [of new businesses] lately.”
The new fast-food establishment does not have any space for customer parking. However, because the building is a pre-existing structure in the central business district, the new use does not need to have any parking spots.
During a public hearing earlier this month, a handful of Stoneham Square residents objected to the Honeydew proposal, primarily due to concerns about parking congestion.
According to one Hirsam Street resident, she's struggled with limited parking in her neighborhood for the past 23 years.
And with the new addition of another eatery in the downtown area, the local resident worried that the shortage of spaces would be exacerbated.
Houghton later maintained that the downtown area was the perfect spot for such a use, although he acknowledged that parking could be tight in the area.
“I've had a house for 23-years and there's no parking. How is there going to be a business there?” the neighbor challenged.
“It's been in the central business district since it came in 1985. If not here, where? I don't know where else you would put a business like this except in the square,” the lawyer responded.
Selectmen John DePinto and Bob Sweeney later suggested that Hirsam Street be designated as a resident-only parking zone.
According to Sweeney, who worried that such a restriction could lead to a wave of similar requests across the town, he was in favor of exploring that possibility only because the Stoneham Square area presented extenuating circumstances.
“I'm in the same boat as you are, being in a commercial area. But the property is zoned for business and something is going to go there,” the veteran Selectman said. “Since the central business district allows commercial places not to fall under the parking regulations, maybe we could look into [resident-only parking].”
The building at 362 Main Street, unoccupied for years, stands-out in the downtown district because of its whitewashed windows.
A few years ago, a Wakefield businessman had attempted to place a new breakfast cafe at the site, but his plans were blocked by the building department.
The spat between the restaurateur and former Building Inspector Gene Argiro concluded when the Wakefield man abandoned his proposal and etched “Thanks for Nothing!” in the front windows of the building.
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