Work on the site of the proposed Dunkin’ Donuts in downtown Butler is expected to begin by the end of the month.

City building official John Evans said a building permit was issued to the Heartland Restaurant Group of Pittsburgh on Friday, meaning the developer could begin work on the site at any time.

The Heartland Restaurant Group has plans to tear down the former Flynn Tire building at 236 N. Main St. and replace it with the new coffee and doughnut shop.

Mike Zappone, a spokesman for the company, said it expects to begin tearing down the former tire shop within three weeks.

“If that starts on time, we should be looking to open in July,” he said.

Zappone said the Dunkin’ Donuts will be a free-standing store similar to the one in Kittanning.

While the building’s design will follow with other Dunkin’ Donuts restaurants, the developer has made adjustments to better fit the downtown look, Zappone said.

The shop in Butler will have a garage door in the front that will open to the public.

“It will have a coffee house setup,” he said. “The city asked us to keep in line with the cityscape, and they were pleased with the design.”

Councilman Bill May in an interview last week complimented the developer for designing a building that would fit Main Street.

“They’ve made several accommodations to the design so it looks better than the cookie cutter (designs) in strip malls,” he said. “That’s a plus for Main Street.”

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

The project is expected to cost about $1 million. It will be the 38th Dunkin’ Donuts the Heartland Restaurant Group owns in Western Pennsylvania.

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