It’s not yet time to make the doughnuts.
The would-be developer of a Dunkin’ – the new shortened name of the Massachusetts-headquartered coffee and doughnut chain long known as Dunkin’ Donuts – received land development approval to construct a new location in Wrightstown from the township board of supervisors back in 2021.
While work is underway at the site, the business isn’t yet poised to open. And now the developer has applied to the Wrightstown Technical Review Board for a variance regarding the amount of water needed on-site to support the fire sprinkler system proposed for the Dunkin’.
The water supply/fire protection question has surfaced before.
Following analysis and number-crunching, the developer previously determined that adequate fire protection could be achieved without housing 30,000 gallons on-site as an earlier application called for, officials have said. The township fire marshal weighed in and concurred less water than that was required.
As such, supervisors granted an approval back in September 2022 that enables the business to maintain a minimum of 12,500 gallons.
But, according to Supervisor Chairman Chester Pogonowski, finding space for an underground tank of that size on the 1.8-acre property has proved difficult because of the “underground use of wastewater, septic and stormwater management.”
The variance the developer is now seeking from the Technical Review Board would allow for a sprinkler system that would meet National Fire Protection Association 13D – a residential sprinkler design standard that’s typically focused on one- and two-family dwellings and manufactured homes. The system would essentially require not storing as much as water on site, but Pogonowski said it would still provide fire protection.
“I personally do not think the smaller sprinkler system will impact safety,” he told the Herald. “The system would be designed to give at least 10 minutes flow to allow any occupant time to get out. The building is small – 1,824 square feet, which is less than most homes built in the township using the 13D standard – and if it were a residential unit, sprinklers would not be required. Unlike the Dunkin’s of old, doughnuts are not fried on location but brought in from a central bakery.”
He noted that additional protection measures under consideration include installing a monitored alarm system, providing additional fireproofing in the roof joist system and limiting the number of interior customers to 20.
If the Technical Review Board grants the variance, supervisors would need to amend the land development agreement documents to change from the 12,500-gallon water tank to meet the relief provided by the variance.
The planned new Dunkin’ would be on Route 413, near the intersection with Route 232 and Park Avenue. It’s a traffic-heavy spot sometimes referred to as “Five Points.”
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