Dunkin' Donuts, Shell Station Approved

After approving a new Dunkin' Donuts and Shell gas station on Terrill Road Wednesday, Zoning Board members were effusive in praise for the project.

"Thank you for investing in Plainfield," Jim Spear said.

Board Chairman D. Scott Belin thanked attorney James Turteltaub and his team of expert witnesses "for the professionalism of your presentation" and called the venture "a nice addition to Terrill Road."

Plainfield Gas Realty LLC proposed the gas station and restaurant last year, but a December hearing fell through when officials realized that nearby property owners on the Scotch Plains and Fanwood side of Terrill Road had not been notified as required. (See Plaintalker's December post on the Dunkin' Donuts/Shell application here.) The former plant nursery site bordered by Terrill Road, East Third Street and McCrea Place will be cleared for the new use.

Planning witness James Henry (L) and attorney James Turteltaub (R)

Much of the hearing on the proposal centered on signage Tuesday. Turteltaub and board members went back and forth over sign issues until they reached a compromise after 11 p.m. Signs for Dunkin' Donuts, Shell and current gas prices will be lower and smaller than first proposed and a ground-level "monument" sign will be placed near a driveway.

The Dunkin' Donuts will be open 24 hours a day, but the drive-in menu board speaker will be turned off at night for the sake of nearby residents. Belin said there is a large new apartment building across the street in Scotch Plains. On the Plainfield side, the lot abuts a residential neighborhood.

Not only did the applicant agree to plant 153 trees and shrubs on the site, the company will also put in new sidewalks and curbs and overlay portions of East Third Street. Planning Director Bill Nierstedt also said the company could agree to donate street trees to another location if they could not plant any around the site as now required for new applications.

Another applicant did not do so well. Noble Way, Inc. wanted to convert first-floor commercial space to residential use at 1437-1439 Park Avenue, where there was already an apartment on the second floor. After a lengthy presentation, board members voted 4 in favor and 3 against the application, which meant it failed.

The board also held its annual reorganization and re-elected D. Scott Belin as chairman and Alejandro Ruiz as vice-chairman. Peter Vignuolo will be the board attorney for 2016 and Rosalind Miller will serve as secretary.

Planning Director Bill Nierstedt reminded all that the Planning Board reorganizes at 7:30 p.m. Thursday in City Hall Library. One of the applications to be heard is for South Second Street Redevelopment, a proposal unveiled in November.

--Bernice