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Zoning commission approves Holly Lane restaurant after ARB disagreement, with parking and engineering conditions
Summary
Par 1 Development's modified 2,250 sq ft Holly Lane restaurant was approved with conditions after the Architectural Review Board's recommended window changes proved impractical; the commission required the applicant to meet parking and engineering conditions and to submit a revised site plan.
Commissioners approved a modified special-case application for a 2,250-square-foot restaurant at 577 Holly Lane while attaching multiple conditions intended to resolve outstanding ARB recommendations and engineering concerns.
Attorney Barry Knott, representing Par 1 Development, reviewed the project's permits history (2018 and 2020 approvals) and said the building is nearly complete. The Architectural Review Board (ARB) had recommended several exterior changes — including aligning window head heights — but Knott and the applicant argued replacing windows would be extremely disruptive and costly because the interior is finished and insulated. "This project has been in the works since 02/2017 and is now 97 to 98% complete," Knott said.
Town staff and the town engineer flagged two material issues: an increase of nearly 5 percentage points in directly connected impervious area (DCIA) compared with preconstruction plans and a parking shortfall tied to newly proposed outdoor dining. Planning staff counted 37–38 parking spaces while the current code-based requirement with outdoor dining would need 39. Staff recommended removing four outdoor dining tables closest to wetlands or otherwise seeking a variance. The applicant agreed to either reduce seating or add parking and stipulated in the administrative session to make seating/parking consistent with staff calculations.
The commission approved the application with explicit conditions: submit revised site plans reflecting accurate parking and outdoor-dining footprints, comply with John Casey’s engineering memo (DCIA documentation and necessary permits for sewer/grease-trap work), and satisfy ARB items where feasible (except for the window replacements the applicant argued would cause undue harm). The vote in administrative session recorded unanimous approval with those conditions.
