Business & Tech

Another Dunkin' Donuts Coming to Route 347

Plans for a "New England" style building in East Setauket.

For those who can’t get enough of Dunkin’ Donuts restaurant there will be yet another option on Nesconset Highway, joining the one in Port Jefferson Station currently under renovation and the shop that opened recently in Mt. Sinai on Route 25A.

The new store is planned for an undeveloped parcel of land just east of the Outback Steakhouse in East Setauket, according to Brookhaven Town documents and the Civic Association of the Setaukets and Stony Brook.

Robert de Zafra, Chairman of the Land Committee, said that the Civic is aware of the project and has met with the developer of the land, who is also the property owner.

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At the meeting they discussed the project and talked about the look of the proposed structure with the owner of the land.

“His original proposal as shown to the Civics nearly a year ago was to put up a ‘traditional’ flat-topped Dunkin’ Donuts store, but, knowing that the corporation seems to be flexible in its designs, and is also in the process of upgrading its image, we asked him to switch to the ‘colonial’ gabled roof design and he did,” said de Zafra in an email to Patch.

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An email on the Brookhaven Town Zoning Department’s website from Robert Crowe, who is listed as the applicant, confirms the discussion took place in August.

De Zafra expressed the Civic’s concerns with further development of the Route 347 corridor but said that they “realistically have noted that the land in question was in an unusual combination of three classes of zoning, with a significant portion designated commercial, and the remainder not suitable at this stage for residential.”

He said he believed the entire property has now been rezoned for commercial use.

Although the Civic did not object to the commercial structure on the lot they did have other ideas. De Zafra explained that a land swap with an apartment complex located to the north of Nesconset Highway would have allowed the Dunkin’ Donuts to take a piece of unused property west of the shopping center and share access to its entrance. The apartments complex would then get the mixed zoned property now planned for development to the east.

“Our reasoning was that there would provide a better customer base, given direct access to the shopping center, and also no need for an additional curb cut onto busy Route 347,” de Zafra said. “Unfortunately that proved impossible.”

The Dunkin’ Donuts in East Setauket will be in addition to those others already in the area. One location about two miles east on Route 347 in Port Jefferson Station and another on Route 25A in Mt. Sinai, which is a little over three miles to the east.

With the New York State renovation of Route 347 coming, the Civic also wants the developer to use some foresight in putting up a sign for the new Dunkin’ Donuts on the busy stretch of highway.

“We hope to see some restraint in signage for the store, as the project moves forward and the state finishes its re-design of Route 347 in this area, so that the appropriate placement of a free-standing sign becomes clear,” said de Zafra.

How do you feel about the plans to build another Dunkin’ Donuts on Nesconset Highway in East Setauket?


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