By Dawn De Busk

Staff Writer

NAPLES — The caffeine fix is not cut and dried.

In fact, in the near future, people in Naples will have two choices for getting to-go coffee.

The Naples Planning Board approved the site plan for an Aroma Joe’s drive-through in the Lakes Plaza — a stone’s throw from Dunkin’ Donuts.

Essentially, the board approved the project as presented, pending approval of a traffic study by the Maine Department of Transportation (DOT). As part of the motion that was OK’d on Tuesday, July 6, no Certificate Of Occupancy permit can be approved until DOT signs off on the project.

“They are waiting on a traffic study from DOT, but that has no impact on the site plan,” according to Planning Board Chairman Doug Bogdan. 

It is likely that DOT will require a center turn-lane for the additional traffic into the Lakes Plaza, but that has yet to be determined. 

Initially, the planning board saw the Aroma Joe’s site plan on May 18. 

The primary changes to the site plan since then were a more defined drive-through area with an extra lane for vehicles to exit and also a reduction in lighting for neighbors. Additionally, landscaping plans were more specific.

James Seymour, civil engineer with Sebago Technics, presented the amended site plan to the board and audience members. 

Aroma Joe’s will be located in an end unit in the building, he said. 

“If you look at the plan, the entrance toward the drive-through is closer to Route 302,” he said.

The drive-through entrance starts sooner than the originalplan, allowing for 10 vehicles to be in the queue. There is an island that the vehicles will drive around. The island will be seeded and will have a few maples growing there. 

Two-way traffic is permissiblein the parking lot, up until the point that people enter the drive-through. Signs will indicate that people entering should yield to the drivers exiting the drive-through. 

“We have various locations where the signs say, ‘Entrance only.’ We are going to direct them to go out beyond the immediate store front,” Seymour said.

“In addition, we left an opening so if someone goes through, there is a space to go around,” Seymour said.

He addressed the lighting and its impact on the neighbors, especially since headlights would be bothersome in the early morning hours when it is still dark out. 

“We added a fence on northwestern line. We added a curbside of fencing on northeast end for a single family residence,” Seymour said. 

As far as landscaping goes, maple trees and ornamental grass will be planted by the Route 302 entrance. 

Seymour asked for a waiver on putting in sidewalks since the business will not generate foot traffic.

“Hopefully we have addressed everything and this should be able to pass quickly,” Seymour concluded. 

Naples Planner Ben Smith talked about the landscaping, and also addressed why the sidewalk requirement could be waived.

“The landscaping requirement for the commercial district standard is some areas of planting along the frontage,” Smith said, adding the amended site plan met this requirement.

“One other item is the  potential need for sidewalk, a zoning standard for new or amended projects, based on the type of amendments. It is not generating pedestrian demand. It is a drive-through with very little seating,” he said. 

“My recommendation is that sidewalks are not applicable to this site plan but the landscaping certainly is,” Smith said. 

Prior to making the motion, planning board member Jimmy Allen asked if there were any comments from the public. There were none.