Applicant seeks addition at 2 Beatrix for place of worship; proposes 25 parking spaces where 54 are required

A developer seeking to create a freestanding place of worship at 2 Beatrix presented plans to the planning board describing a rear addition with a 3,200-square-foot sanctuary and a split parking layout that would provide 25 spaces.

The project engineer, Rachel, said, “It is me, Rachel. I'm the engineer for a project. So the application is for 2 Beatrix… The addition is in the rear of the building.” She told the board the sanctuary's size drove an occupancy calculation that produced a requirement of 54 parking spaces under the applicant's method; the applicant proposes 25. “For the parking, I did 1 space per 60 square feet,” Rachel said, adding that the applicant believes the 25 spaces will meet typical attendance patterns.

Why it matters: the…