North Aurora favors old gas station site for Dunkin' Donuts
A Dunkin' Donuts franchisee wants to build a store where a gas station once operated in downtown North Aurora.
Village trustees are OK with it being built at the site of the former Marathon station at 24 S. Lincolnway.
The village bought the dilapidated, vacant station last year for $200,000 from the estate of the owner who died in April 2008.
The franchisee, who has not been named, wants to include drive-up service, which would require obtaining a special-use permit from the village. There are houses to the rear of the property, but they are separated from the site by an alley. Planners envision installing a privacy wall.
"I love it," Trustee Laura Curtis said, saying the building shown in the design had a "fresh look" comparable to a Dunkin' Donuts that opened a few years ago on the west side of St. Charles. She and Trustee Chris Faber suggested the developer use more brick on the facade, instead of siding.
Trustee Mark Gaffino's support was tepid. "It's not what I hoped to have on (Route) 31 from John Street to Oak Street. I can live with it, but it is not really what I envisioned in that area," he said.
Downtown North Aurora is a mix of uses and styles of buildings, including offices, a police station, houses, fast-food restaurants, stores, service businesses, bars and a liquor store. Trustees have a goal of beautifying the strip, including getting ComEd to bury its power lines.
In March, the owner of the Shell gas station on Batavia Avenue in Batavia approached North Aurora about buying the station and reopening it, along with adding a Dunkin' Donuts. Trustees, however, said they did not want a service station on that lot again, and did not want the building re-purposed.
There is a Dunkin' Donuts at 407 S. Lincolnway.
The franchisee owns about 60 Dunkin' Donuts stores, according to North Aurora Community Development Director Mike Toth.
The next step is for the franchisee to apply for permission to build. The plan commission and village board would have to review and conduct public hearings for the drive-through use. The village would have to agree to sell the site, and the building would have to be demolished.