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Planning board approvals and procedural votes, Jan. 16, 2025 — waiver and special permit wins for WedgLinks golf course and several administrative endorsements
Summary
At its Jan. 16 meeting the Framingham Planning Board granted waivers and a special permit for a proposed WedgLinks executive golf course at 225 Crossing Blvd., approved facade and patio changes for a Sweetgreen at Shoppers World, and permitted a bank dual-lane drive-through at 303 Worcester Road with conditions; several hearings were continued.
The Framingham Planning Board recorded several approvals and administrative actions on Jan. 16, 2025. Key votes and outcomes were:
225 Crossing Boulevard (WedgLinks — 9-hole executive golf course) - The board granted a CMU driveway-width waiver to allow matching the existing 27-foot connecting road, and granted waivers related to geotechnical reporting and tree-for-tree replacement after the applicants explained visible ledge and an already heavily wooded site. - The board approved minor site plan review and granted a special permit for land disturbance and stormwater management, with the standard condition that the applicant finalize conservation commission requirements and complete outstanding conservation peer-review items. Planning staff noted the project will use porous pavement, stormwater basins and will rely on existing utility stubs.
92 Bethany Road; 10102 Kendall Avenue; 15 Belmore Road (Approval Not Required plans) - The board endorsed multiple ministerial “Approval Not Required” (ANR) plans for 92 Bethany Road, 10102 Kendall Avenue and 15 Belmore Road (the board found they did not constitute subdivisions and signed the plans). These were routine, ministerial endorsements; no public hearings were required.
180 Franklin Street; 173–179 Union Avenue; 1 Howard Street - The board continued public hearings for 180 Franklin Street, 173–179 Union Avenue and 1 Howard Street to the Feb. 6, 2025 Planning Board meeting (7 p.m.). These continued matters require additional applicant revisions or further submissions.
550 Worcester Road (dealer parking/loading issue) - The board continued the hearing and requested a targeted peer review of truck turning radii and pavement impacts before further consideration. (See separate article on the public controversy.)
Sweetgreen, Shoppers World (1 Worcester Road) - The board approved a modification allowing Sweetgreen to paint the masonry facade, add a striped Sunbrella awning, place outdoor patio seating and install channel-letter signage. The vote approved an outdoor seating plan and facade modifications as presented.
303 Worcester Road (bank / drive-through) - The board approved a major site plan review and a special permit for a financial drive-through (dual lane: teller + ATM), subject to a condition that the drive-through be used only by a financial institution and that the applicant provide a final landscape plan. The board also directed the applicant to work with the planning director to soften canopy design and address streetscape impacts.
770 Water Street - To complete the administrative record, the board confirmed permanent removal of seven illustrative parking spaces on the approved 770 Water Street project plans prior to issuing a certificate of occupancy.
Procedural votes - Planning board minutes for Nov. 21 and Dec. 5, 2024 were approved earlier in the meeting. - Several continued public hearings were calendared for Feb. 6, 2025; 550 Worcester Road may be held to Feb. 20 if the requested peer review is not completed in time.
Why it matters: Several decisions expand the range of permitted activity in the corporate mixed-use district (a recreational golf course that required waivers), and the approvals for facade and drive-through modifications will change neighborhood activity and appearance in Shoppers World and along Route 9. Other items were ministerial. Several matters remain open and will return to the board after additional technical review or project revisions.
