The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT)
Dunkin’ applies for drive-thru permit
‘Drive-up service only’ is response to pandemic
LITCHFIELD — An application for a zoning regulation amendment to allow a Drive-thru Dunkin’ has been filed in Litchfield, and customers couldn’t be happier.
That’s according to Sweet Grounds, a development company connected to the PAC Group in Torrington, which has been installing Dunkin’s new model of coffee stops in response to the pandemic’s demands. Sweet Grounds has a petition on change.org explaining the project, and has collected more than 160 signatures in favor of it.
“In our collective effort to battle the COVID pandemic ... we are ... applying to the Town of Litchfield for permission to construct a brand new prototype drive thru Dunkin across the driveway to the south of Kawasaki Restaurant . ... It will have a double drive thru ordering system, two pickup windows, a walkup pickup window and an outdoor open air covered and heated patio for your enjoyment under all but the most extreme weather conditions,” the petition reads.
“What we’ve done is, we’ve submitted a zone text amendment to the town of Litchfield, to allow for an accessory bakery Drive-thru, subject to special exception review
and requirements,” said Bill Zampaglione, speaking on behalf of Sweet Grounds LLC. “This one will be tailored to Litchfield.”
Zampaglione is vice president of the PAC Group, a development company based in Torrington. PAC is the construction manager for Dunkin’.
Kawasaki Japanese Restaurant shares a portion of Village Green Drive with a wine shop on the south side of the property. Village Green Drive is home to a variety of businesses, including restaurants, offices and stores including Stop & Shop, which moved from Route 202 to Village Green Drive two years ago. The area has plenty of parking to allow for the drive-up, Zampaglione said.
Village Green owner Mark Greenberg, Zampaglione said, told him this week that he already has tenants interested in the existing Dunkin’ building, once the new Drive-thru is approved.
Litchfield’s Land Use Administrator and Zoning Enforcement Officer Dennis Tobin confirmed Monday that Sweet Grounds LLC had filed its application.
“They have a hearing scheduled for Feb. 1, and we’re meeting on Zoom,” Tobin said. “We’ll let them do their presentation and hear all about it at that meeting.”
If the Planning & Zoning Commission were to approve the zoning text amendment, Sweet Grounds will have to file a second application for a special exception permit for the site plan, Tobin said.
“They’ll have to apply again, and there will be another public hearing,” Tobin said.
Litchfield’s Dunkin’ is now located in the eastern section of Village Green Drive at the entrance to Stop & Shop, and is part of a strip of spaces including Hartford HealthCare medical offices. It is a walk-in restaurant and does not have a Drive-thru window. The only Drive-thru businesses on Route 202 are Webster Bank and Litchfield Bancorp.
Drive-thru services, along with contactless delivery and curbside pickup, have become a way of life for many, by staying in the car and avoiding direct contact to keep safe from COVID-19. Some may be concerned about allowing a drive-up restaurant like Dunkin’. “The way the application is written and applied for in no way allows for Litchfield to become a gateway for other Drive-thru restaurants, like Burger King or McDonald’s,” Zampaglione said.
The developer was confident that residents will support the project. “Litchfield is very traditional, but very forward-thinking, too,” Zampaglione said.