Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Licensing Livability topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident raises livability concerns over Raising Cane’s hours and proximity to housing
Summary
A Framingham resident told the Board of License Commissioners he is concerned a new Raising Cane’s restaurant is too close to nearby housing and requested clarification about late-night hours; commissioners said they limited the outlet’s closing hour to midnight though the mayor had authority to approve later overnight hours.
A Framingham resident told the Board of License Commissioners on Jan. 13 that he was concerned the new Raising Cane’s restaurant near Route 20/Route 30 is too close to adjacent housing and questioned why the outlet’s closing hour had been set so late.
Resident Jerry Bloomfield said he visited the site and estimated the drive-through and parking area sit about eight feet from rear apartment windows. “It seemed to me like it was like 8 feet away,” Bloomfield said, describing the proximity and saying the combination of lighting, noise and late-hour activity would harm nearby residents’ quality of life.
Chair Stewart Polity told Bloomfield the board had limited the restaurant’s closing hour to midnight because of concerns about lighting, noise and cooking odors given its proximity to the Lord Chesterfield apartments. Polity said the establishment had obtained approvals from other municipal departments and planning boards. He added that under the city’s procedures certain overnight service hours (generally between 1 a.m. and 6 a.m., as described in the meeting) require mayoral approval, and that the mayor had previously approved a later hour — which Polity recalled as “3 or 03:30” but did not state precisely — while the board chose to end operations at midnight.
The exchange occurred during the meeting’s general public comment period; no formal action or new license condition was proposed or adopted at the Jan. 13 meeting. Commissioners and staff encouraged residents who wished to raise concerns to attend the relevant licensing hearings when those items are on the agenda.
Bloomfield said he believed the mayor had made an earlier decision about hours without the commission’s input; Polity corrected that the board had debated hours and reached a midnight limit but noted the mayor has authority to approve later overnight hours for certain requests.
The board did not vote on any change to the Raising Cane’s license during the meeting, and no further direction to staff was recorded.
