Staten Island pols place order: safer drive-thrus

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By Tom WrobleskiMay 14, 2010, 2:08AMStaten Island Advance/Anthony DePrimoAn SUV blocks the sidewalk as it exits the Dunkin' Donuts drive-thru on Forest Avenue.STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. --- Staten Island elected officials are asking the city to address hazardous conditions caused by the increasing proliferation of coffee-shop and drugstore drive-thrus throughout the borough.

"We must address this problem now, before someone gets run over on the sidewalk by a driver exiting a drive-thru that probably isn't permitted to be there in the first place," said Borough President James P. Molinaro.

Molinaro and City Councilmen James Oddo and Vincent Ignizio have communicated their concerns to City Planning chair Amanda Burden.

In a letter sent to Ms. Burden, Molinaro said existing rules governing drive-thrus date to 1961, when only banks and a few "fast food joints like Wetsons and White Castle utilized drive-thrus."

Said Molinaro, "Now, coffee shops, drugstores and restaurants across the borough have drive-thrus, many of which are poorly designed, causing traffic to back up onto roads and sidewalks."

Borough Hall has fielded complaints about a number of drive-thrus at businesses, including the Dunkin' Donuts on Forest Avenue near Broadway; the McDonald's near Victory Boulevard and Richmond Avenue, and the KFC at Hylan Boulevard and new Dorp Lane.

Molinaro said that the 1961 rule is "very specific" as to where drive-thrus would be permitted. Later, he said, "distinctions were made" which required Board of Standards and Appeals oversight for drive-thrus located in certain commercial zones. these rules require a special permit process to monitor the effect a drive-thru might have on a community over time.

"This rule makes sense, and should be applied to all zoning areas," Molinaro said.

Businesses that don't comply should have their applications for drive-thrus denied, he said.

"The convenience for a relative few cannot take precedence over a better quality of life for all," said Oddo (R-Mid-Island/Brooklyn). "At a moment in history when so many of us are always on the go, it is logical to assume that more drive-thrus will be constructed going forward. It is simply smart planning to start this process."

"One business' success should not be at the expense of the neighborhood's quality of life," said Ignizio (R-South Shore). "The regulations are antiquated and need re-addressing."

Staten Island pols place order: safer drive-thrus

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