Around Tolland: Drive-Through Petitions and Coffee

While waiting in line at the Tolland Patch refueling station and interview hotspot, AKA Dunkin' Donuts, a petition supporting the construction of a drive-through at the Route 195 business caught my eye.

As of Tuesday afternoon, the petition had nearly 170 signatures. 

Tolland Patch has previously covered the potential business and traffic implications of a drive-through.

Planning & Zoning Commission Chairperson Marilee Beebe said that the drive-through issue will be informally discussed at the commission's Feb. 11 meeting at town hall.

She explained that the petition could be submitted as "public input" if a public hearing is opened on changing the regulations. Currently, drive-throughs are not allowed for restaurants in the Tolland Village Area.

Beebe said that while anyone can file a formal application any time for a drive-through, before changing any regulations, the P&ZC would have to consider all the potential impacts of allowing drive-throughs for the entire zone.

"We can't change the regulations for a single business," Beebe said. Any changes in zoning would be applicable to the businesses within the entire Tolland Village Area, she said.

A formal application for the drive-through zoning change has not yet been filed, Beebe said.