Sheffield Township trustees approve rezoning for proposed Dunkin'

SHEFFIELD TWP. — Following approvals by the county planning and township zoning commissions, Sheffield Township trustees on Friday morning gave the final OK to a rezoning proposal that will allow a developer to build a Dunkin' quick-service restaurant at Broadway and Cooper Foster Park Road. The request from The Coles Group was to rezone the property on the northwest corner of that intersection from medium density residential to a general business district, allowing for the Dunkin'. The land is currently owned by the Broadway Assembly Church, according to Lorain County Auditor's Office records. At a previous meeting, a representative of the developer discussed approaching the church about the land and said the plan is for a house there to be razed before the Dunkin' is built. Trustee Chad Parsons said before voting Friday that trustees did their due diligence in investigating how the rezoning would affect traffic. "It's not something that comes to us very often, and I know we look at all the factors when it comes to this," he said. Trustees Parsons, Barbara Burrill-Horton and Tim Mahalcik voted unanimously in support of the rezoning legislation. The coffee and doughnut chain's slogan may be "America Runs on Dunkin'," but some residents were hoping trustees would run the other way. A public hearing on April 18 was well attended by neighbors who opposed the proposal. Their concerns included fears that increased traffic could block first responders rushing to the scene of an emergency. One resident who lives near the location described the Broadway and Cooper Foster Park intersection as already "overburdened," even without a quick-service restaurant there. Others were concerned the proposal could drive down property values. A smaller number of residents attended Friday morning's meeting, and none addressed trustees on the matter during the meeting. At the public hearing, representative Paul Rubenstein of The Coles Group said the proposed location is desirable for a Dunkin' because of the availability of existing traffic there, denying the idea that it would create additional traffic. Other nearby Dunkin' locations include one at Cooper Foster Park and Leavitt roads in Lorain, another on Abbe Road across from Lorain County Community College in Elyria and one at the intersection of South Abbe Road and East Broad Street in Elyria. Rubenstein told residents on April 18 that the proposed Sheffield Township Dunkin' would have a double drive-thru and exits onto both Broadway and Cooper Foster Park Road. He also said he has not seen evidence suggesting it could reduce area property values. The Coles Group owns and operates 19 Dunkin' locations in Ohio, as well as Taco Bell and Mickey Mart locations. Contact Dylan Reynolds at (440) 329-7123 or dreynolds@chroniclet.com.