Submitted Photo This rendering depicts the proposed Wendy’s restaurant rebuild near the intersection of routes 60 and 20 in the town of Pomfret. The town’s zoning board of appeals on Tuesday decided not to give a green light to the project just yet, as there are unknowns with the state’s roundabout that will be constructed adjacent to the Wendy’s property.

A local Wendy’s restaurant could be torn down and rebuilt in the near future, but unknowns with a New York state roundabout project are throwing a monkey wrench into those plans.

Representatives of the franchise at 10350 Route 60, Fredonia, attended a Town of Pomfret Zoning Board of Appeals public hearing Tuesday seeking an area variance for a setback of less than 100 feet. The board tabled the resolution due to a lack of concrete information, most notably a piece of evidence conveying that the state Department of Transportation feels comfortable with the project, as the restaurant’s setback will be altered with the construction of a new roundabout at routes 60 and 20.

“We’re being asked to grant an area variance for an area we don’t know what it’s going to look like, and that’s a very difficult thing to do,” Zoning Board Chairman David Fridmann pointed out. “We know there’s going to be a roundabout; we don’t know the exact dimensional qualities of it. I think they can find out and I think we can find out as part of this process, so that there’s some surety so that they aren’t building something that’s going to have a problem a year from now.”

Jim Moll, director of development for the Wendy’s project, explained the current structure is “passed its useful life.” He noted the aim is to pump nearly $1.8 million into a modernized property and restaurant, thus enhancing the look of that area.

The state looks poised to widen the roadway when it installs the roundabout, meaning the roundabout project will eat into the public right of way at the corner of the Wendy’s property on Route 60.

Mike Neikirk, civil engineer for the Wendy’s project, noted the state has indicated it will not interfere with the existing property. He added there is no intent to do anything in the right of way other than in the permitted area, and that will be limited mainly to resurfacing and eliminating potholes.

The plan is to move the building back from the property line, thus widening the setback from the current property line. The new building will be a bit narrower, but also longer, thus equating to roughly the same square footage.

The zoning board asked the Wendy’s representatives to provide either a DOT highway work permit or a signed document by the DOT stating it will come within a certain number of feet from the restaurant or it will widen Route 60 by a certain number of feet. That way, the board can determine how much the area variance should be for.

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