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 planning board must decide whether to accept the proposed parking reduction or require additional spaces or mitigation, and whether the plans meet accessibility and building-permit requirements.

Details of the proposal and reviewers' comments

Rachel described the site layout: the primary parking would be accessed from Smith Hill Road, with two additional parking spaces on Petrich to provide a handicap-accessible route into the lower-grade entry. She said an existing, mid-block structure between the house and the addition would be repurposed but is not currently in active use. She advised the board the lower level created by the site's grade would not be used initially and “if they were to use it in the future, they would need to return” for review and building-permit approval.

On the parking math, Rachel said she calculated occupancy using one space per 60 square feet; she stated that, “based on the sizes of the sanctuary… we figured that 54 parking spaces are required. You're providing 25.” She and other participants discussed alternate occupancy formulas and the calculation of people per square foot during the hearing. Rachel said the applicant believes 25 spaces are sufficient for normal operations because services are often not at full capacity.

Accessibility and plan completeness

The engineer confirmed the design includes at least one handicap space positioned to allow direct access to the building from parking. She told the board the applicant will provide the full building plans at permitting and that any future use of the lower level would require an additional review as part of the building permit.

Next steps

The applicant agreed to supply additional materials and clarified that remote agencies will be circulated as part of the environmental review and permitting process. Rachel said she would provide the board the missing plan sheets for the next meeting. The board also noted standard public-notice procedures apply for properties within 500 feet.

No formal vote on the application was recorded at the meeting.

Ending

The applicant will return with updated plan sheets and permit-level details, including the full building square footage and any updated parking calculations, before the planning board makes a final determination.