Another McDonald's Heading for Plainfield

Plainfield Village Trustees are sold on burgers, but not so much on donuts. 

As a result of action by the village board Monday night, a McDonald’s restaurant will be coming to the southwest corner of Route 30 and 135th Street just south of Walgreen’s. Trustees approved a site plan and directed the village attorney to draft a special use ordinance to allow construction of the 4,374 square-foot restaurant with a drive-thru window.

But is it time to make the donuts? Not quite yet, say board members, who are seeking more specifics before considering the concept of a stand-alone Dunkin' Donuts with a drive-thru as part of development of a parcel of land at Lockport Street and Route 59.

The corner, which serves as a gateway to Plainfield’s historic downtown area, has been vacant since 2004 when the First Baptist Church was purchased and razed by developer Carl Bryant. Since then, the location has remained largely unused, with the exception of the annual summertime Plainfield Farmers Market.

At Monday’s meeting, village planners asked board members to comment on their architectural vision for the site -- and whether they felt the proposed concept was consistent with the village’s recently completed “Vision for Division.”

Village Planner Michael Garrigan told board members Monday that besides a proposed Dunkin Donuts at Chicago Street and Route 59, developers have proposed a possible mixed-use building for the “hard” corner in phase two of the development.

Trustees seemed to be generally on the same page when offering their opinions on the proposed development.

Paul Fay, Margie Bonuchi and Bill Lamb all said they want to see specific architectural details that are consistent with the village’s proposed design for Route 59, as well as those that fit with the historic nature of Plainfield’s downtown. Dan Rippy said he’d like to see some outdoor seating at the site, as well.

And although Trustee Jim Racich said he hopes to see the Dunkin Donuts plan move forward, he wants to be sure the village gets the design it wants, rather than “what we thought we were going to get,” as he said occurred in the Walgreen’s development at Route 59 and Main Street a few years ago.

“That hard corner is going to be a hard sell,” Racich said of the proposed development at Lockport Street and Route 59. “But it has to be really a great development. I will not approve anything for that corner that’s not great.”

“Overall, I support this,” said Trustee Garrett Peck. “(But) I don’t want to nitpick this and miss it like we did on 59 and 126. We should do what we can to get Dunkin Donuts in town.”

After listening to the trustee’s comments, Garrigan said the village’s planning staff will continue working with the applicant to come up with an acceptable site plan -- and will eventually bring the concept back to the plan commission for further discussion.