Dartmouth KFC Proposal Rejected by Zoning Board of Appeals

The chicken may be finger lickin’ good, but the location was apparently bad for the Dartmouth Zoning Board of Appeals, as the board unanimously voted not to allow a KFC franchise to open at 263, 265 and 267 State Road.

According to Dartmouth Week, traffic concerns were the reason for the denial, despite the potential franchise owners, Hanover-based D.E. Foods, LLC, having commissioned a traffic study stating the area would face minimal impact due to the traffic going in and out of the proposed KFC location.

The 1,755-square foot building would have replaced the current Help-U-Sell Real Estate building, a parcel of undeveloped land and a private residence.

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D.E. Foods, LLC, runs more than 50 KFC and KFC/Taco Bell restaurants in the Northeast, including the one in Wareham. Vice President Dan Whitney told WBSM back in March that if approved, the Dartmouth location likely would have opened by the end of 2022.

Instead, it’s back to the drawing board as the Zoning Board of Appeals did encourage D.E. Foods, LLC to withdraw its current application and wait for the Commonwealth to make planned changes to Route 6 in that area that could alleviate some of the traffic concerns. Another option was to find an alternate location in town.

Where would you like to see a KFC if one is going to open in Dartmouth? Some have suggested it would be better suited to be somewhere at the Dartmouth Mall, in the area of the former Pier 1 Imports.

Even if KFC is not coming to Route 6, at least for now, at least Dartmouth can take comfort in knowing it will soon be home to the newest location of Marylou’s Coffee.