A Dunkin’ Donuts that’s planned for a busy intersection in Wrightstown is one step closer to becoming a reality.
Last year, the Wrightstown Board of Supervisors granted preliminary and final approval for AAA Development of New Hope to construct a 2,000-square-foot Dunkin’ on a 1.8-acre parcel on Route 413, near the intersection with Route 232 and Park Avenue. It’s a traffic-heavy spot sometimes referred to as “Five Points.”
However, the project has yet to come to fruition.
One reason for that has been questions related to how much water needs to be stored on-site to provide fire protection. The topic came up at the supervisors’ Sept. 19 meeting.
Regulations require that new commercial buildings include a static water supply on-site to support fire protection efforts in the event of a blaze.
Following analysis and number-crunching, the developer determined that adequate fire protection could be achieved without housing 30,000 gallons on-site as the initial application called for. The township fire marshal weighed in and concurred less water than that was required.
As such, supervisors granted an approval on Sept. 19 that enables the developer to maintain a minimum of 12,500 gallons.
“The applicant will be installing underground storage tanks large enough to store the water on-site,” said Supervisors Chairman Chester Pogonowski. “Our solicitor was authorized to amend land development paperwork to memorialize the change.”
It was unclear when the Dunkin’ might be ready for business.
In other news, officials are moving forward with a plan to upgrade lighting at the township building with new, more energy efficient models. After applying an anticipated PECO reimbursement, the new lighting will cost Wrightstown about $13,000, but save the township money in the long-run.
“The break-even payback from energy savings is estimated to be 1 ½ to 3 years,” said Pogonowski. “The overall 10-year savings for energy and maintenance are estimated at just under $69,000. From a carbon perspective, these energy savings reduce the need for 75 barrels of oil or 18 tons of coal.”
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