Controversy surrounds proposed Dunkin' Donuts in Clarendon Hills

There was a passionate debate Monday night in Clarendon Hills.

Residents were pushing back against plans for an old tavern that shut down four years ago to be turned into a Dunkin’ Donuts.

The drive-thru was voted down by the village board after listening to hour-long details from the developer, homeowners, and even the deputy fire chief.

The major sticking points for residents boiled down to traffic backing into the subdivisions surrounding the Dunkin’ Donuts, and noise.

"Across the street there are townhomes. I wouldn’t want to live right across the street," said resident Tom Kuch.

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A traffic analyst for the developer says rush hour would start at 7:15 a.m. and go until 8:15 a.m., which would mean 1,788 cars in the area.

The evening rush would start at 4:45 p.m. and over 2,050 cars would travel in all directions on 55th Street and Western Avenue.

That has residents that live in the surrounding subdivisions very concerned.

"They started to revise the hours to 8 at night, but these things are 125-feet from someone’s home," said Don Davis, president of the Homeowners Association at the Reserve of Clarendon Hills.

Davis says the coffee chain would surround the subdivision on both sides.

"What’s the difference between the Dunkin and the bar? The bar was always a failing business. It had business during lunchtime and again in the evening," he said.

The meeting held at village hall was so jam packed, residents were forced to sit in lawn chairs outside.

The developer — Hinsdale based KrohVan LLC — is proposing a 6,000-square-foot building. The fire department says the architectural drawings don’t allow for the largest fire apparatus to access the location.

"There was a proposal for a professional office building and for whatever reason it never materialized," Davis said.

The village board voted the drive-thru down. If the developer still wants to come to the area, they would have to resubmit an application.