Council approves expansion of LJB Badminton Club at 78 Olympia Avenue with hours condition

WOBURN, Mass. — The City Council on June 3 approved a special permit allowing the LJB Badminton Club LLC to expand its indoor facility at 78 Olympia Avenue from roughly 8,085 square feet to about 21,745 square feet, increasing the number of courts to 14 and setting hours of operation from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

Attorney representing the petitioner described the building as a multi‑tenant 112,000‑square‑foot facility that has housed training gyms in the past. He said the petitioner has occupied the current space since Feb. 1 and that the proposed expansion would add space previously used by a gym. The petitioner said peak use is expected in evenings and weekends and that planning staff had issued a May 2025 memo raising no concerns.

Councilors asked about noise and parking; the petitioner said badminton is a relatively quiet indoor use compared with prior gym uses and that the site has adequate parking based on the planning board review and previous use. Councilor Boleyn noted the petitioner’s credentials: the petitioner’s coach and his spouse are professional badminton players, and the petitioner indicated no plan to convert the space to pickleball.

A motion to approve the special permit passed on a voice vote; the council also added a condition tying approval to a site plan of record dated 06/03/2025 and set hours of operation at 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. daily.

The approved permit allows the club to expand indoor court space within the existing building footprint; any substantial changes to the plan would be required to return to the council for review.