Brookhaven planning board approves variances for proposed 12,000‑sq‑ft Medford retail building at Route 112 and Tremont Avenue

The Town of Brookhaven planning board on Jan. 28 approved a site plan and three variances for L A L Global Group Corp. for a proposed 12,000‑square‑foot retail building at the southeast corner of Route 112 and Tremont Avenue in Medford.

The applicant requested relief from three standards: a small parking variance (code requires 80 spaces; the applicant proposed 76), permission for parking in the front yard, and a reduced landscape buffer (proposed 18 feet where 25 feet is required pursuant to Section 80 five‑eight 43 as stated at the hearing). Planners and the applicant said the site’s triangular shape constrained the layout and made the variances necessary.

The project design includes a double row of evergreen plantings and a six‑foot chain‑link fence along Tremont Avenue, plus a sidewalk on the Tremont side. The applicant said there will be no ingress or egress to Tremont Avenue and that any future change to permit access would require a return to the town board for approval. The application team said they had worked with the Medford Civic Association on the design and tenant mix but that tenants are not yet secured.

Resident speakers raised traffic and screening concerns. Nick Parrot, who said he lives four houses from the school on Tremont Avenue and whose family has lived there since 1955, described local pedestrian use and traffic backing up on Route 112 and asked about fencing height, shrubbery and whether access to Tremont would remain closed. He said he did not want noise‑generating uses near the elementary school. The planning director and the applicant's representative replied that Tremont access would remain closed, that the applicant will provide a six‑foot fence with landscaping and a double row of evergreens on the Tremont side, and that the applicant would try to attract tenants the community prefers.

At the close of the hearing a motion to consider the site plan application and associated variances was made and seconded; the board voted “motion carries” and the application was approved. The motion record in the transcript does not list a roll‑call vote or vote tally.

Why it matters: The decision clears the way for development at a small but sensitive parcel next to an elementary school and a post office, creating a long‑term change in site layout, landscaping and permitted circulation that residents had questioned for safety and compatibility.

What happens next: The applicant will seek building permits and begin tenant marketing. Planning staff and board comments tied approval to the site plan and the agreed limitations (no Tremont access without board approval) and to fulfillment of conditions noted on staff recommendations.