“America runs on Dunkin’,” except perhaps for the slice of America that used to caffeinate at the Dunkin’ doughnut shop on Route 52 in Pine Bush.

The store was badly damaged early on September 26 when a man headed east in a pickup truck crashed into the newly renovated building. The town ordered the building to be demolished, and it was razed shortly thereafter, leaving an empty concrete pad surrounded by a chain-link fence, and a hamlet full of people searching elsewhere for a cup of joe.

Ever since the accident, townsfolk have wondered if the Dunkin’ would be rebuilt. At last week’s town planning board meeting, they got their answer: yes.

Representatives of the shop gave planning board members a preliminary look at their plans at the informal technical review period that follows the regular meeting.

The now-demolished Dunkin’ was a standalone building in the Valley Supreme strip mall, and it was so popular that it caused traffic problems when very busy, with cars lined up along Route 52.

The new design is be smaller, devoting less space to the dining room, positioned farther away from Route 52, so that it can accommodate more cars lining up for the drive-through window to eliminate the traffic problems on Route 52.

Motorists would enter the line, get served and exit the same driveway. Board chair Linda Zwart suggested that the representatives get in touch with Dan McCann, the town’s director of safety and security. McCann is also involved with a town project to extend a sidewalk along Route 52 that will run the full length of the strip mall, and could help coordinate such details as curb cuts.

The representatives said the intention was to rebuild working with their insurance company. But it’s possible that the insurance company will require rebuilding on the existing slab, effectively putting down a building with the same footprint as the last one. That is a non-starter for the town.

“I don’t feel it’s an option,” board chair Linda Zwart said.

Dog Lover Unbowed

Eileen Nixon says that taking care of dogs “is my life.” She says she’s been at it 40 years and “I’m not going to stop what I’m doing.”

Nixon had asked the planning board for a special use permit to operate an in-house kennel at her home at 130 Crans Road. A public hearing on the request was on last week’s agenda. But Nixon already had a strike against her. Earlier this month, the Zoning Board of Appeals denied her request for an area variance because her house is less than 200 feet from the front property line, the minimum requirement for a kennel.

The town code defines an in-home kennel as a residence with more than four dogs that are six months of age or older. Nixon concedes she has more than four dogs.

Planning board attorney Ben Gailey advised the board to open the hearing because it was on the agenda although the ZBA’s ruling made it moot. No one spoke at the hearing.

At the ZBA meeting earlier this month, vice chairman Mark Doty said area variances are hard to get, and the board has to go with the zoning laws as they are. In denying the variance, the ZBA also pointed out that that Nixon has other remedies. Her house sits on 22 acres and she could construct a building to meet all the code requirements and keep as many dogs as she wanted. Scott Geiger, who said he lives next door to Nixon, emphasized the same point when he spoke at the ZBA’s public hearing on the request for the variance. He said he didn’t want to hear barking dogs and there was no reason for a variance because she can comply with the code.

After the planning board meeting adjourned, Gailey said there was no appealing the ZBA’s ruling except through the courts.

Nixon said she was awaiting the arrival of dogs from hurricane-ravaged North Carolina.