Proposal for small convenience store at 21 Amelia Drive continued after the board raises parking, delivery and pedestrian-access questions

The Planning Board heard an application to amend an MCD special permit for 21 Amelia Drive so that a garage bay (Suite 106) would be used as a small convenience market for staple Hispanic/Latino grocery items (applicant described the business as La Republica Mini Market). The applicant’s representative said hours would be 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. and that no prepared foods are proposed.

Staff reminded the board that the site currently provides 16 parking spaces against a calculated requirement of 18 under strict interpretation (the board had previously granted a two-space waiver). Commissioners expressed concern that a convenience store — even one without prepared foods — will change arrival patterns and create additional short-term parking turnover. Several members asked whether employee parking could be off-site at a second applicant-owned Amelia Drive location; others suggested a six- and twelve-month follow-up review if a permit is granted.

Commissioners requested that the applicant provide: a firm delivery and loading plan (to avoid deliveries blocking Amelia Drive), a lighting and landscaping plan, a pedestrian-connection review (sidewalks/walkways) and documentation from the Board of Health on food-storage requirements. Staff recommended follow-up at approximately six months to assess operations, parking and any enforcement issues. The board continued the application to April 14 to allow the applicant to supply the additional materials and to pursue coordination on shared parking or employee parking arrangements.

Several commissioners and town staff said they see potential neighborhood benefits (convenient grocery access for a growing local Hispanic population and for nearby workers), but they stressed that parking, deliveries and pedestrian safety issues should be resolved or mitigated before permitting.