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Politics & Government

T-Mobile Cell Tower ZBA Hearing Delayed

The Zoning Board also OK'd a new Dedham Dunkin Donuts to open on Providence Highway.

The hearing at the Dedham Zoning Board of Appeals on Wednesday was postponed once again so a town consultant can be brought up to speed on the matter. 

After ZBA chairman James McGrail announced this neighbors, some of which have , left the meeting.

The hearing will be continued at Oct. 19 ZBA meeting. The cell tower is proposed by T-Mobile to be on top of the at 297 High St. close to residential homes and new Avery Elementary School.

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As residents filed out of the O’Brien Meeting Room there were echoes of disappointment and statements like, "I can see it [the tower] from my living room."  

Another resident commented on how he moved his son from the nearby Avery School to Greenlodge to avoid the negative, prolonged effects of a cell tower. 

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Dedham to Run More on Dunkin'

A new Dunkin' Donuts, complete with a drive-thru, soon will arrive at 780 Providence Hwy., sharing the parking lot with the . The doughnut shop will be 1,900 square feet, less than half the size of a Krispy Kreme doughnut shop that was at the same location several years ago.

Peter Zahka represented Dedham Real Estate Development, the property owners, and said they own the building housing both the Vitamin Shoppe and . 

“The queue can hold six cars,” said Zahka, adding that the 1,900 square feet will also hold a yet-to-be-determined sandwich shop. 

Ken Cram, a traffic engineer, said he compiled data from other local Dunkin' Donuts stores and said he believes that it will not cause back-up onto Providence Highway. He said the other stores at the site don’t open until after 9 a.m., and by then the Dunkin' Donuts has had its busiest hours.

Cram said in looking at other stores in the chain, they should expect 118 cars before 9 a.m., with 60 percent of those cars going in to the drive-thru. 

The special permits for the site were approved by the ZBA with 23 parking spaces and cleared for 22 patrons. Landowner David Spiegal said the shop should be open by the end of the year.

Sturgis Way to Add Landscaping

Zahka also represented SIP Trust in refurbishing 125 Sturgis Way, the site will be a work site with approximately 15 workers on the first floor of the new complex. 

“We have 80 parking spaces, but we don’t think we’ll need them,” said Zahka. 

Curtis Ryan, the property manager, said they may add to the landscaping because they’ll need so little parking. 

Zahka added, "The adverse effects of this site do not outweigh the positive." He then explained that the refurbishing will add a tremendous amount of landscape architecture to the site.  

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