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Shake Shack agrees to build sidewalk to DOT-approved details; board adds completion deadline to site-plan approval
Summary
Shake Shack property owner told BlendingBoard the company will construct a sidewalk along Bridge Street to a DOT-approved detail; the board modified the site-plan approval to include the DOT-approved sidewalk to be completed by Dec. 31, 2025, while agreeing not to withhold a certificate of occupancy for the building.
BlendingBoard and the applicant for the new Shake Shack discussed a DOT-approved sidewalk alignment and landscaping along Bridge Street during the April 10 work session. The board modified site-plan approval to include the sidewalk detail approved by the DOT and set a completion date.
Matt Lester identified himself on the record as a property owner for the Shake Shack location. He told the board that the applicant coordinated with the Department of Transportation and that DOT had approved a sidewalk that would terminate into the existing shoulder at the property line. Lester said DOT staff (identified in the record as Jeff Deep) reviewed grades, landscaping and the sidewalk alignment and had signed off on the plan that was circulated to staff that afternoon. "We were able to communicate with the DOT and the town... and we've finalized the plan that the DOT is comfortable with," Lester said.
Lester said the sidewalk design includes a detectable-warning stop for visually impaired pedestrians and that the sidewalk would terminate into the shoulder at the property line; the applicant is prepared to construct the work at its expense. He estimated the cost at about $40,000 and said he preferred not to remobilize contractors twice, so the sidewalk work would be combined with remaining site concrete work. The applicant plans to apply for a highway work permit from DOT and to coordinate timelines and any off-peak work requirements.
The board and applicant agreed that the sidewalk work should not hold up the certificate of occupancy for the building. Lester offered to post a performance bond if required. The board moved to modify the prior site-plan approval to add the sidewalk detail as approved by DOT and to require completion by Dec. 31, 2025, and the motion passed on the record. The board also asked the applicant to provide stamped, signed paper copies of the DOT-approved plans and to submit the highway work permit application as the next step.
