Dunkin’ Donuts is looking to rebuild its Owensboro restaurant at the same location, making way for a more efficient drive-thru and expanded layout, according to documents obtained by Owensboro Times.
A building permit was issued on January 22 to Evansville-based contractor Nathan Mominee for the $1.5 million project at 3011 Frederica Street, the same address as the existing store.
The new Dunkin’ will be slightly larger, spanning 2,997 square feet with an additional 346 square feet of porch space, the permit shows. It will also feature about 20 parking spaces, four of which will be dedicated to mobile order pickup, according to the amended final development plan approved by the Owensboro Metropolitan Planning Commission.
The drive-thru will function as a single lane on each side of the building but will split into two at the ordering stations, the plan shows. Landscaping updates include two green spaces at the front of the restaurant, separated by a paved lane for customers who may need to circle back after picking up their orders.
Also according to the plan, a 10-foot-wide landscape easement at the back of the property will include a 6-foot barrier and one tree for every 40 feet.
This rebuild comes after Dunkin’ considered relocating two blocks north. In June 2023, owners invited residents of the Wesleyan Heights neighborhood to a public forum to discuss moving the restaurant to 2805 and 2811 Frederica Street, near Wildwood Drive.
While some attendees understood the reasoning behind the move, most were there to push back. Residents cited the neighborhood’s Dedication and Restrictions agreement, which was originally adopted in 1954 and extended in 1999 through 2046, requiring all lots to remain residential.
Dunkin’s owners, Sita Devi LLC, leased the current property in April 2009, opening the restaurant a little more than 2 years later.
OT attempted to reach one of the Dunkin’ owners this week but could not make contact prior to publication.
