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Zoning board approves four-space parking variance for Coolidge Highway storefront in Berkley
Summary
The Berkley Zoning Board of Appeals on July 14 approved a four-space parking variance for 43020 Coolidge Highway to allow a first-floor family retail shop and second-floor office; approval was 4–2 with a condition that employees park at Bagger Dave’s or municipal lots.
The Berkley Zoning Board of Appeals voted July 14 to approve a four-space parking variance for 43020 Coolidge Highway, allowing a proposed first-floor family retail shop and a second-floor office to operate with reduced on-site parking.
Applicants Christine Sheridan and architect Bradley De Vries told the board the building fronts nearly the entire lot and that the lot’s orientation and narrow setbacks make on-site parking physically infeasible without demolishing part of the existing structure. Sheridan said the project is “a personal project for us, not a business venture from afar” and asked the board to “support the parking variance so we can bring this vision to life.” De Vries said the only way to provide on-site parking would be to remove part of the historic building.
The request sought to waive four spaces after the applicant obtained a shared-parking agreement for four spaces with the nearby restaurant identified in the record as Bagger Dave’s. Staff and applicants said the city’s new zoning ordinance, effective April 16, 2025, limits shared-parking agreements to satisfy no more than 50% of a use’s required parking, which made the site unique in now requiring a variance.
During deliberations board members reviewed the five statutory findings in Sec. 138-17.04 of the Berkley zoning ordinance, questioned the timing of the property purchase in September, and discussed conditions used in an earlier 2022 variance. The board imposed a condition that employees must park at Bagger Dave’s or at municipal lots; the board also discussed limiting on-site staff and placing bike racks as mitigations. The motion to approve the variance passed on a roll-call vote with Member Krug, Member McDonald, Member Cyr and Member Benedict voting yes; Member Wilner and Chair McAlpine voted no.
The approval allows the applicants to move forward with tenant improvements under the approved parking condition; staff noted a different future use or change in ownership could trigger re-review of parking and require a new variance.
