NORTHBOROUGH – The Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) denied a proposal for a drive-through ice cream restaurant at 305 and 309 Main Street during its Oct. 24 meeting.
Chair Paul Tagliaferri and members Brad Blanchette and Suzy Cieslica voted against while Fran Bakstran and Mark Rutan voted in favor of a special permit for a drive-through and a special permit with site plan approval.
“The proposal CAN BE modified to minimize adverse impacts to the residential neighborhood by eliminating the drive-through and egress onto East Main Street,” the ZBA wrote in its written decision.
The applicant SALIII 305-309 Main Street, LLC sought to turn a site that formerly housed Texas BBQ Company into a drive-through ice cream restaurant with walk-up windows. The project called for 30 parking spaces, picnic tables and entry into the site on Route 20 and East Main Street.
The board then finalized the written decisions during a meeting on Nov. 2.
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“At least for me personally, this was a tough decision,” said Tagliaferri Nov. 2. “This was a very complicated case. There were a lot of moving parts to it.”
He said the ZBA listened to all of the testimony, went through all of the exhibits, held the hearing and took a month to deliberate.
In the decision, the board argued that the project would adversely affect the nearby neighborhood.
“The noise created by people ordering food from a menu board, increased traffic on East Main Street and increased congestion at the Bartlett and Main Street intersection would detract from the use and enjoyment of the neighboring properties,” the board wrote in their decision.
The ZBA also determined that an increase in traffic would be a nuisance to pedestrians and vehicles, noting that the restaurant would be operating from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
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The board wrote that the proposed trip volume wasn’t based on live data, but estimates, and the board found the estimate for traffic was low.
“The Board considers the under allocation of traffic of traffic volume during peak hours to have direct impacts on the Level of Service analysis quoted in the study and does not fully represent the expected traffic volume from the proposed project,” the ZBA wrote.
The ZBA also argued that the location of the picnic area would be a hazard because it required pedestrians to cross the drive-through lane. The board also said there were inconsistencies with the project and other drive-throughs, specifically noting that other drive-throughs have indoor seating where this project did not. Indoor seating, the board argued, would reduce the number of transactions with customers in their cars and could be a shelter during inclement weather.
The written decision can be found at https://www.town.northborough.ma.us/sites/g/files/vyhlif3571/f/uploads/305-309_main_st_signed_decision_special_permit_for_use.pdf.
