Zoners Endorse Drive-Through Service For Banks, Pharmacies

By Andrew Gorosko

Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) members have approved new zoning regulations that specifically allow banks to have drive-through service windows, and also permit pharmacies to have such windows to allow patrons to pick up medical prescriptions.

The new regulations also allow banks to use pneumatic delivery systems to provide service for customers in areas adjacent to banks. 

Following a July 2 public hearing, P&Z members approved allowing drive-through windows for the two types of businesses in a 4-to-1 vote. Such window service would be allowed through the issuance of a special permit.   

Voting in favor of allowing drive-through windows were Chairman Lilla Dean, Dennis Bloom, Jane Brymer, and Richard English. Robert Mulholland voted in opposition.

Although the P&Z had not had a zoning regulation specifically allowing banks to have drive-through windows, the agency customarily has allowed such an accessory use for banks.

The issue of whether pharmacies should be allowed to have drive-through windows came to a head last fall when the P&Z was considering a proposal for the construction of a 13,640-square-foot Walgreens Pharmacy on the busy northern corner of South Main Street and Mile Hill Road.

The developer of the project maintained that drive-through window service is an essential component of a modern pharmacy. Some P&Z members, however, were not convinced. They specifically questioned the practicality of a drive-through window at the 47-49 South Main Street address, citing the physical limitations of the site and also general traffic congestion in that area.

The P&Z eventually rejected the pharmacy proposal. The developer appealed that rejection in court. The P&Z and the developer later reached an out-of-court settlement which approved the pharmacy and allowed it to have drive-through window service. In May, the P&Z voted 4-to-1 to settle the Walgreens court appeal and approve the pharmacy, with Mr Mulholland dissenting.

The pharmacy has not yet been built.

Historically, the P&Z had not formally allowed drive-through window service as an accessory use for any business as a mechanism to deter fast food restaurants with drive-through windows from locating in town. The current zoning regulations include a prohibition against restaurants having drive-through windows.

P&Z members have opposed drive-through windows at restaurants for reasons including the intensity of such a land use and related problems, including littering.

Public Comment

 At the July 2 public hearing on allowing drive-through window service for banks and pharmacies, resident Blanca Sheehan of 72 Queen Street commented.

Ms Sheehan said that after the P&Z has regulations that formally allow banks and pharmacies to have drive-through service, it would be difficult to prevent other types of businesses from seeking drive-throughs. She urged that the P&Z not allow drive-through service, saying that it would tend to damage the local quality of life.

Ms Dean observed that P&Z members have considered the drive-through window issue for a long time. She noted that virtually all banks have such facilities, adding that many pharmacies also have prescription pick-up windows.

“I share your concerns about drive-ups for the [fast] food,” Ms Dean told Ms Sheehan. The P&Z chairman stressed that P&Z rules prohibit restaurants from having drive-through window service.

George Benson, the town’s director of land use and planning, said that drive-through service for banks and for pharmacies are comparable situations, but drive-through service for restaurants is different in nature.

Ms Sheehan responded, “You are opening Pandora’s box…You change that [regulation] and you’re going to change the entire complexion of Newtown…I just think it’s a crime to see Newtown go downhill…It’s a beautiful, charming town…That is a slippery slope.”

Ms Sheehan said she does not expect any positive result to come from a the zoning regulation change.

Last October, when the Walgreens Pharmacy proposal was at the public hearing stage, Ms Sheehan was among the residents living in that area who objected to the pharmacy construction proposal. Ms Sheehan then said that the congested area could not handle the added traffic that would be generated by a pharmacy.

Following the July 2 P&Z session, Mr Mulholland explained his reasons for opposing drive-through window service for banks and pharmacies, saying the new regulations might set a precedent for fast food restaurants seeking facilities with drive-through window service in Newtown.

Mr Mulholland added he is concerned about public safety at the planned Walgreens in view of the presence of a drive-through window.