Need help? Have feedback?

Share your thoughts below and the Municipal team will respond shortly.

Thank you!

Your message has been received. We will get in touch shortly.

CAMPAIGN

Dunkin Donuts Project

Plainfield, IL
Description:

I'm currently living in Shorewood; however, my husband and I are looking to downsize and possibly relocate to Plainfield. During our house search last week, we noticed the sign on the property apparently designated for Dunkin Donuts. We made some inquiries and since learned that not only is a Dunkin Donuts going in, but that customers will enter and exit on Arnold Street! Surely, I'm mistaken! I had hoped to attend your zoning meeting to better understand what's going on, however, I was advised that it has been postponed until April. If this information is accurate, we may need to re-evaluate our decision to relocate to Plainfield and we absolutely will not pursue ANY discussions regarding the house for sale on Arnold! I believe it presents a huge safety issue to have this kind of traffic on a neighborhood street. I heard that this area was a family friendly neighborhood, however; that's not the impression I got after reviewing the plan online. Is there more to this that I don't know or understand? Surely, you do not place urban grown above the safety of those living within your community? Plainfield is a lovely community with a charming downtown area. I trust you will rethink your plan and come up with sometime more feasible. Thank you.

Related topics:
Theresa Scarcelli Plainfield, IL

As I study the plans of this potential development, what I have noticed is that nowhere does it share how customers will be entering and exiting or the negative impact it will bring to Arnold and Oak Street. Nowhere does it describe that the only way to get into the Dunkin Donuts would be to add an entrance/exit on Arnold Street which is a very narrow street in a residential area, with many children. It doesn’t explain that the drive-thru is also located on the residential side of the plaza (which happens to be in the back of the purposed development so that it will not be “visually displeasing” to the cars on route 59). Obviously, there is also no explanation of how the car lights will be shining right into the homes along our street at early morning and late night hours. It is through attending the Village Hall meetings that I now see the major negative impact this proposed plan is going to have on our neighborhood. Essentially this plan will turn our neighborhood into a “mini Route 59”. I am not interested in the color of bricks and mortar nor the awnings over the windows. You will see that my concerns go much deeper than that. My concerns are about what is really important;
1. Safety of our children…riding bikes, playing in the neighborhood, walking to and from school
2. Decreased Property Values and livability in our neighborhood
3. The inability for services and emergency vehicles to reach every house within a reasonable time
4. The inability to get in and out of our driveways during “peak times” for Dunkin Donut
5. Excessive noise pollution (from the drive thru and additional traffic) and air pollution (from the donuts being prepared in the early morning and all day)
6. Rodent infestation due to the close proximity of our homes and the restaurant and the continuous need to empty garbage dumpsters
7. Increased traffic and large delivery and garbage trucks which essentially turns our residential street into a “mini route 59”
Allowing Dunkin Donuts to be built in this area will also have a negative impact on the entire community which should not be overlooked! The excessive noise, rats, cockroaches, cooking exhaust fumes, trash issues, violations of residential parking; and early morning deliveries with double parking of large delivery trucks are all major concerns.
Our neighborhood cannot absorb the quality of life issues and safety issues this development would create, not to mention the impact on property values. We purchased downtown Plainfield because we love the character and quaintness of this town! That character is what we all cherish and why we have chosen to be a part of this community. Adding a Dunkin Donut will be the tipping point that changes a vibrant neighborhood into an unreasonable environment where no one wants to live.
I am hopeful that the elected officials are looking at the full traffic implications of the Dunkin Donuts decision, especially for village residents, many of them elderly, who often walk to their destination. We are already “coexisting” with a number of food establishments and feel there is no need to bring in this cookie-cutter franchise. A Dunkin Donuts franchise, with a Drive-Thru, would be a huge step backwards for all of us who are a part of this community!
I remember the excitement when Mr. Garrigan discussed the award winning “Vision on Division” and all the positive interest from the Plainfield residents. This future “Historical Vision would continue to keep the character of our town, through the coming years”! The Dunkin Donuts was NOT a part of that vision.
Mr. Garrigan was quoted as saying;
"It was phenomenal," he said of the ideas that were submitted. "It really enforced what people wanted, which at the end of the day is great planning."
"They don't want the same-old same-old…an auto-oriented strip center," Garrigan said. "They want to preserve the character of downtown Plainfield."
I agree with you Mr. Garrigan! Let’s stick to that original plan! It is truly beautiful and something we can ALL be proud of!

Mike Scarcelli Plainfield, IL

Mike Scarcelli -
My home is directly across the street (Arnold) from the proposed development. I oppose this proposed plan for several reasons. First, the huge volume of traffic generated by the Dunkin Donuts Drive-Thru and 'inside' customers will be a terrible safety hazard to the children of the neighborhood. Also, this residential street is simply not capable of handling the overwhelming traffic congestion that would become an issue all day, every day. To clarify, the only entrance and exit to this proposed site, including the Drive-Thru, is on Arnold Street. I recently observed the Shorewood Dunkin Donuts and recorded the number of vehicles using the Drive-Thru. On a Friday morning, from 6:30 to 8:00 AM, 178 vehicles used the Drive-Thru. On a Sunday afternoon, from 1:30 to 2:00, 37 vehicles used the Drive-Thru. It makes no sense to add 1-2 vehicles per minute to this quiet neighborhood street. In addition, the noise created by the Drive-Thru customers and attendants would be extremely loud, waking everyone up from 6:00 in the morning and keeping everyone awake until 10:00 at night, if it is not a 24 Hour restaurant. Plus, the headlights of the vehicles would shine directly into the windows of our home. Finally, if this proposed development were approved, our home's value would be significantly reduced. We are grateful that the Plan Commissioners voted not to recommend this proposed plan. Now, we are hopeful that the Village Trustees and our Mayor do not vote to approve this proposed development. Thank you for the opportunity to comment.

Dear Mr. Garrigan, Village President Collins and Village Trustees:
I attended the Village Board meeting on Monday night with my husband, Ken and my daughter, Mackenzie. I live at 14928 S. Arnold, which is located at the intersection of Arnold and Oak Streets. (We are the white house on the corner.) During the board meeting, my husband expressed concern over the possible construction of a Dunkin Donuts plaza on Route 59, Arnold and Oak Street. As stated at the meeting, there are several (16+)small children who reside on Arnold Street or Oak Street. This location also happens to be the bus stop for Central Elementary School. In addition, there are many elderly residents who walk everywhere in town.
I'd like to tell you about the current traffic situation on my corner. We have yield signs on Oak Street, which gives the drivers on Arnold Street the right of way. Most drivers blow through these yield signs with no regard to possible oncoming traffic. We have witnessed SEVERAL near accidents and quite a few actual collisions. Just yesterday, there was a verbal altercation between two drivers on our corner because one driver did not yield and the vehicles almost collided. This sort of thing happens on a daily basis. I cannot imagine how much these incidents would increase with a retail establishment located on the corner. I understand that this is a quality piece of land. It would make an excellent spot for a professional office, such as a doctor or dentist. But to bring in a drive-through would truly be a mistake.
I am asking each of you to actually drive to this location and see what I'm talking about. Come and sit on our front porch and watch the traffic!
I am a native Plainfield resident. I grew up in this house; and I moved back into this home with the hope of providing my daughter with the type of childhood that I had. I want to live in a safe neighborhood where the children don't have to be afraid to play in the front yard. I want to watch my daughter ride her bike down the sidewalk on Arnold Street without worrying about a car jumping the curb. I don't want to see giant trash dumpsters and neon lights or hear the drive-through speaker when I sit on my front porch.
Please consider voting no on this proposal at the next board meeting. Aren't families and quality of life more important than yet another coffee shop?
Thank you for your time.
Susan (Crook) Hurley

Candace Scholz Plainfield, IL

How is this an unbiased brainstorming page when participants have the option to “Support This Idea” but not to “OPPOSE THIS IDEA”? They should not be tracking the number of supporters if they are not also tracking the number of those opposed. Civic ArtWorks should present an unbiased brainstorming page and should correct this IMMEDIATELY.

Zach Borders Chicago, IL

Hi Candace - Thank you for your comment. We understand your concern, but assure you that Civic ArtWorks takes no stance on this issue (or any others) and has no intention of skewing an issue in the eyes of the community by not including an "Oppose this Idea" option. We believe that positive support can lead to action. We also believe that little or no support (what we equate to "Oppose this Idea") leads to no action. The community's sentiments seem clear, to this point, given the number of Plainfield citizens that have viewed the proposed Dunkin Donuts project and have not supported it -vs- those that have supported it. With all of this said, you are always more than welcome to make comments that describe why you oppose an idea / issue / project. Let us know if this helps.

Candace Scholz Plainfield, IL

It is important that there be no political opportunity to manipulate the results of this discussion into support of what the community agrees is a bad development plan. I appreciate that your response to my inflammatory post included an explanation for how Village officials and staff should interpret the information.

Andrew Hilk Plainfield, IL

This is a bad idea. The land area is to small for this type of development and it does not allow a good traffic flow. The area residents will be stuck dealing with the cars and delivery trucks on what should be residential streets. Why not move this project south to the vacant lot at Lockport St. and Rt.59. So far I know of no plans for that land, maybe this project would be a better fit on that corner. Downtown could use a national retail name like Dunkin Donuts. Maybe it would encourage others to locate a store in our downtown area. Having a more diverse mix of stores could draw more shoppers and visitors to the downtown area.

Theresa Scarcelli Plainfield, IL

There has been no mention of what the other two businesses will be. I have read that Dunkin Donut has partnered with Baskin Robbins to improve their sales! I feel this omission is deliberate! If there is an issue with traffic volume and safety for our children with a Dunkin Donut, that immense number of cars will double in the summer when everyone is trying to enter and exit to get ice cream! Dunkin Donut presented its plan to the commissioners and it was voted down. Now they are "revising" the plan to resubmit! It stands to reason that if they are being met with such opposition from residents
and their plan was voted down by commissioners the first time, they would understand that it is a BAD idea!
Another concern I have is that if this is approved, it will be the beginning of an influx of franchises along route 59 in our quaint, Historic, community! I worry that the beautiful homes along route 59 which currently back up to Bartlett Avenue, will be the first to see this transition happening!

Sharon Kinley Plainfield, IL

My question is: Why Dunkin Donuts? There is a D.D. two miles north on Rt. 59, another located near the mall on Rt. 30, a third at Caton Farm Rd jsut east of 59 and a bit further south, yet another D.D. And we have a very good bakery on Lockport St with excellent donuts. Is there any thought given to thinking "out of the box" and looking for a unique or specialized business. And, I do agree, a drive thru at that location would be detrimental to all in that area.

Bre Alberico Yorkville, IL

This proposed business takes away from the quaint, quiet/calm, charming feel of the historic downtown Plainfield. Adding this amount of traffic, noise & busyness to Arnold Street will definitely change the attractiveness of this Great town & make it much less appealing. Not to mention, the safety concerns for families with little ones & who have little ones who visit often-the possibility of accidents is significantly increased when you talk about adding hundreds of cars each day entering/exiting off Arnold Street. This is a terrible idea & I strongly encourage you to reconsider the location.

Theresa Scarcelli Plainfield, IL

I agree with what the majority are saying!!! This is a bad idea!!! Go on youtube and search "Dunkin Donut Rats!" You will be totally grossed out! The videos show first hand why it would be a terrible idea to put this in a residential area! Please No Dunkin Donut in the front yards of the Arnold Street families! We need to stick to the original "Vision for Division" plan that we voted for. Let's keep this Historic town something we can ALL be proud of!!

Theresa Scarcelli Plainfield, IL

I agree with what the majority are saying!!! This is a bad idea!!! Go on youtube and search "Dunkin Donut Rats!" You will be totally grossed out! The videos show first hand why it would be a terrible idea to put this in a residential area! Please No Dunkin Donut in the front yards of the Arnold Street families! We need to stick to the original "Vision for Division" plan that we voted for. Let's keep this Historic town something we can ALL be proud of!! Keep in mind, this is ONLY a half acre parcel of land they are proposing a Dunkin Donut and two other stores plus a parking lot and drive thru!!!

I live behind the Starbuck's located at the corner of Route 59 and Route 126.
What bothers me the most –
1. The sound of the trash being picked up at 4:30 am
2. The sound of the snow plows clearing the parking lot at 3:00 am
3. The cars that have just left the drive thru, speeding down Bartlett Street so that they can get back to Route 59.