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Planning Board OKs Indoor Golf Simulator at Granite Plaza
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Summary
The Town of Braintree Planning Board unanimously approved a special permit and site‑plan review for Scratch Golf LLC to open an indoor golf simulator facility (operating as South Shore) in a 5,400 sq. ft. tenant space at Granite Plaza. The applicant said the facility will offer eight simulator bays, limited food and alcohol, and hire 4–6 employees.
The Town of Braintree Planning Board voted unanimously Dec. 9 to grant Scratch Golf LLC a special permit and site‑plan approval to convert a roughly 5,400‑square‑foot unit at Granite Plaza into an indoor golf simulator facility to be branded as South Shore.
Ken Guan, who presented the application with his wife, Tyler Guan, told the board the project will be interior‑only and will not change the exterior of the plaza. "We are presenting the application for special permit for use as a place of amusement in an existing vacant store unit at Granite Plaza," he said. He said the space will include eight simulator bays, a small bar and limited kitchen, two putting greens and ADA‑compliant accommodations.
The application materials, posted online and submitted to the planning office, show the unit will rely on shared parking within Granite Plaza. The applicant said 26 parking spaces will be available to the unit, which exceeds the 22 spaces required by zoning. The site is in the Highway Business District and within the Watershed Protection Overlay District, as noted in staff materials.
On food and beverage plans, the applicant described a limited, non‑hazardous kitchen offering mostly frozen items and a limited alcohol program: "We're going to be offering water, soda, and licensed alcoholic beverages," Ken Guan said, specifying beer, wine, hard seltzer and premixed drinks. He told the board the project received initial approval from the local board of license commissioners and that the state Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission (ABCC) review is expected to take approximately two to four months.
The applicant described the simulator technology as camera‑based with swing plates that can simulate different lies. He said the simulators are from a South Korean manufacturer and that the facility will operate primarily by reservation to manage peak demand. Guan estimated he and his wife would hire about four to six employees during typical operations.
Planning staff presented a draft decision and recommended approval with standard conditions. After brief clarifying questions from the board — including whether the business is a franchise (the applicant said it is not) and confirmation of ADA accommodations — Member Kinahan moved to approve the special permit and site‑plan review; Member Cain seconded the motion. The board voted in favor. "That was really very informative," the chair said after the presentation.
The decision closes the public hearing on the application. The applicant will proceed with the remaining state licensing steps for alcohol; the ABCC review timeline described by the applicant remains an applicant estimate and is not a condition of the town approval.
