Dunkin' Go proposed for vacant Naperville corner

A Dunkin' Go coffee shop is being proposed for a vacant corner lot on Route 59 in Naperville.

The city's planning and zoning commission gave its unanimous recommendation to the business that would be located at 1671 N. Route 59 on the southwest corner of Diehl Road and Route 59.

The petitioner, Prakash Patel, operates two additional Dunkin' Donuts franchises along northbound Route 59 in Naperville. The proposed location would primarily serve traffic on southbound Route 59 and eastbound Diehl Road.

"Both are doing extremely well right now," Patel said. "We're very happy with having two Dunkin' Donuts in Naperville."

In addition to setback variances for signage and parking encroachments along Route 59, the commissioners recommended a parking reduction variance because the Dunkin' Go would be a drive-through operation with no indoor seating or interior pickup options.

Patel requested a reduction from 11 spaces to eight, with some of the parking dedicated to a maximum of three employees at any given time. The site layout provides capacity for 14 to 18 cars stacked at the drive-through, which exceeds city code requirements.

Because of the relatively small size of the parcel, at about three-quarters of an acre, city officials said the commercial options are limited for that corner. The proposed Dunkin' Go building would have a footprint of less than 1,500 square feet, but it'd be two stories tall to create office space and training areas for employees.

"This site is very small compared to the other commercial lots in the city," said project architect Hemal Purohit. "Probably one of the smallest commercial lots that the city has in this corridor."

Landscaping would be added to beautify the property, featuring 16 new trees and more than 100 new shrubs.

After receiving the recommendation from the planning and zoning commission, the plan heads to the city council for final approval at a future meeting.