The village’s Planning Board reviewed and assessed blueprints and plans for a proposed Dunkin’ restaurant at 20 W. Main St., in the former M&T Bank building. The relevant documentation for the proposal was submitted by BAPA 20 W. Main St. RE LLC.

While the Planning Board members expressed enthusiasm about the prospect of a new business coming to the village, several raised questions regarding parking, safety and traffic flow. Board member Stephanie Nick voiced concerns about the safety of children and pedestrians in the vicinity. Meanwhile, board member Jim Cusimano inquired about the availability of parking spaces and the expected traffic patterns at the proposed drive-through location.

“Look at the Tim Horton’s locations,” said Cusimano. “The new one has a double drive-thru, and the traffic backs into the street.”

Alan Gustafson Sr., board chairman, replied that village code only requires 12 parking spaces for the square footage of the building, with the company planning for 20 spaces. One of those spaces has to be ADA compliant, and the proposed Dunkin would have two ADA compliant spaces.

From left, Falconer Planning Board members Howard Moore, Jim Cusimano, Ken Lyon, Stephanie Nick, and Alan Gustafson Sr. review plans for a proposed Dunkin location at 20 W. Main St., Tuesday night at the Village Hall, 101 W. Main St. P-J photo by Christopher Blakeslee

Gustafson said that based on the submitted drawings, the company had met or exceeded all or most of the village’s requirements.

Village Attorney Greg Peterson asked if a variance would be needed because the outlined proposal was taking a building designed to hold a bank and replacing it with a restaurant or food service organization.

“No,” said Gustafson. “The zoning stays the same – commercial – but the parking standards do change, and they’ve (company) exceeded what was required of them. I don’t anticipate a variance will be needed.”

Nick asked about the park’s and schools’ proximity to the proposed Dunkin site and the potential increase in traffic it could potentially bring, including road hazards and hazards to pedestrians.

“We have several kids who walk to school right through that area,” she said. “We just had someone, crossing the street, who had the right-of-way in the crosswalk, get hit. We need to make sure these children are protected.”

During the meeting, Paul Capitano, Falconer code enforcement officer, said the franchisee is considering opening three other locations nearby.

“The possibility of Dunkin’ bringing new jobs and foot traffic to our downtown is exciting,” said Alan Gustafson Jr., village board member. “It’s always encouraging when business owners see potential in Falconer and invest in the village. We’ve welcomed a number of new businesses over the last few years, and it’s great to see that momentum continue.”

No further action was taken by the board.

According to Bapa Network LLC’s Director, Marketing & Communication Abbey Celeste, in an email sent to The Post-Journal in October 2024, “We currently own and operate 86 Dunkin’ restaurants in New York, Pennsylvania, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. In addition to the Falconer site, we are finalizing the building of a location in Cooperstown, N.Y., with plans for that location to open by the end of the year; she wrote, “In addition to new construction, we’re committed to remodeling several existing locations to fit the NextGen footprint.” Celeste also said the company anticipates hiring 15-18 employees at its proposed Falconer location.