North Woburn Dunkin' Donuts Proposal Still on Table

A proposal to re-build the North Woburn at 880 Main St. will be heard at the City Council special permit committee before a decision is made by officials next month.

Tuesday night, Dunkin' Donuts representatives presented a plan to City Council, which includes moving the restaurant to the opposite side of the strip mall and constructing a drive-thru lane.

According to data provided by Dunkin' Donuts, approximately 60 percent of customers will use a drive-thru lane when available. 

Alderman Mike Raymond suggested that, if the proposal is approved, the restaurant only serve coffee and donuts so that the drive-thru lane never reaches out onto Main Street. 

Raymond cited issues with traffic on Winn Street, because that Dunkin' Donuts "serves sandwiches."

"We don’t want the traffic to back up onto Main Street," he added.

Chris Sergeant, the director of operations for the North Woburn Dunks, as well as 18 other restaurants, said his employees are "well-trained" and "we really service our customers to get them in and out." 

"We definitely do not plan on having any queue in the street or in the parking spaces," added Sergeant. 

The restaurant has standards that it has to meet to move traffic and customers along, said attorney Joe Tarby.

City Council President Paul Denaro stopped the conversation Tuesday, saying, "Either we debate this and act on it tonight… [or put it in] committee."

Officials voted to hammer out the special permit request and proposal at an upcoming committee meeting and will reconvene the public hearing Sept. 6. 

According to the proposal, the  would remain in the mall area, but  and Roast Beef Round-Up will not. Tarby said the area could go from nine businesses to six with the renovations.