Aroma Joe’s proposes drive‑thru coffee and retail at 45 Washington Street

The Planning Board was scheduled to review a site plan for a drive-thru coffee shop and retail space at 45 Washington Street at its meeting on Monday beginning at 6:30 p.m. in City Council Chambers. The application, filed by Fieldstone Land Consultants of Milford, N.H., describes an 836-square-foot Aroma Joe’s near the front of a roughly 1-acre parcel and a 3,200-square-foot retail space behind it, with parking between the two buildings.

The site sits at the intersection of Washington Street and Winter Street, opposite the new Domino’s Pizza location that opened last year, and “abuts the city’s skateboard park to the west.” Vehicles would use the signalized driveway at the traffic lights that also serves Fresenius Kidney Care, according to the application materials. The filing specifies that a tenant for the 3,200-square-foot retail space has not been proposed and “would not be a restaurant.”

Aroma Joe’s franchises its coffee shops, which are located throughout New England. The nearest Aroma Joe’s to Claremont are in Newport and Lebanon; the Lebanon location, off Route 120, “opened last November.” The proposed store dimensions and the presence of a drive-thru place this project within a common suburban retail pattern that prioritizes quick service and car access.

Project proponents listed in the application include Fieldstone Land Consultants and an entity named Brennan Development; “Messages left for Fieldstone were not immediately returned. Attempts to reach Brennan Development were unsuccessful.” Those contact attempts were noted in the filing materials. The application does not include a proposed retail tenant, the total number of parking spaces, hours of operation, or a traffic study, leaving specific operational and traffic impacts to be addressed at the Planning Board review.

For neighbors and businesses along Washington Street, the proposal carries several immediate considerations. The drive-thru will route additional cars through the signalized driveway that links several properties, creating potential peak-hour congestion near the intersection and the skateboard park. The retail space could add daytime foot traffic and sales-tax revenue but also raises questions about buffering, lighting, and impacts on recreational users at the abutting skate park.

The Planning Board meeting was the next step in the municipal review process; the application will require site-plan approval and may prompt requests for additional studies or conditions from city staff. Residents interested in the project should note the meeting time and can attend the City Council Chambers session to hear the board’s discussion and any public comment. Future reporting will track what approvals the board issues, whether a tenant signs for the retail space, and any traffic or site changes requested during the review.