Dunkin’ Donuts is moving closer to coming to Butler.

City council Tuesday night had a conditional use hearing for the national coffee and doughnut franchise to move to the corner of North Main and West Brady streets.

Representatives with the Heartland Restaurant Group of Pittsburgh, which would own the restaurant, presented plans for the restaurant that would replace the former Flynn Tire building.

The development would require conditional use approval of a drive-through and the number of spaces for off street parking. City code requires conditional use for any drive-through.

The restaurant also would require a waiver on the mandatory number of parking spaces required for the restaurant.

Council said it will grant the approval at its meeting Thursday.

“I see nothing wrong with this,” said Mayor Tom Donaldson. “We look forward to welcoming you to the community.”

Councilman Bill May asked about the design of the building, specifically that the structure will be off Main Street.

Mike Orie, a representative with Heartland, said the need for the drive through means the building needs to be off Main Street.

Positioning the building any other way would result in problems that could back traffic onto one of the adjacent streets.

“We’ve put a lot of thought and analysis into the design of the building,” Orie said. “We feel this is the best plan for everyone involved.”

Orie said about 60 percent of the store’s sales is expected to come from the drive-through.

May, who criticized the design of the Rite Aid building on Main Street, also asked about the look of the new structure.

Orie told him the building will feature different colored brick and decorative lighting, and will be welcoming to pedestrians.

“We have big brother telling us what to do,” referencing the Dunkin’ Donuts corporation. “We’ve been fighting against their prototypes to design a place that’s good for the city. And this has come at a higher cost than the typical designs.”

May said he was pleased with what he heard from the representatives.

“I appreciate the accommodations that you have made to the project,” he said.

Orie said the project is still dependent upon approvals from the state Department of Transportation, but said the approval of the conditional use would be a big step forward.

He said construction likely would begin in the spring. The building could be open in May or June.

The project is expected to cost about $1 million.

The property would have traffic entrances from both Main Street and Brady Street. The drive-through would enter from Brady Street.

Orie said Butler is a good site for the investment. He said one thing the city has going for it is the amount of parking available.

Dunkin’ Donuts has more than 11,000 restaurants worldwide, including a location on New Castle Road in Butler Township.