Falmouth planning board approves site plan and special permit for Wendy’s at Worcester Court

The Falmouth Planning Board voted unanimously Feb. 10 to approve site plan review and grant a special permit to Fashion Foods LLC to build a 2,391‑square‑foot, 36‑seat Wendy’s fast‑food restaurant with a single‑lane drive‑through at 0 Worcester Court.

The board’s decision includes findings that the site is adequate for the proposed use in the Business‑2 zoning district and a condition package that requires the applicant to implement listed roadway and pedestrian improvements at its own expense, obtain traffic advisory committee approval for off‑site work and ensure stormwater controls meet town engineering standards. The final decision corrects a drafting error noted at the meeting: eight front‑yard parking spaces — not six — are located on the plan.

The applicant’s attorney described several plan revisions, last updated Jan. 23, including relocating a walkway to tie into an ADA‑compliant crosswalk, removing a patio roof (reducing lot coverage to about 5.8 percent), and reworking grading to meet engineering requirements. The plan also shows a decorative four‑foot fence and bollards along the southern property line; the applicant agreed to install bollards or a guardrail if the board required it.

In public comment Linda Clark of the Falmouth Housing Corporation, which owns 41 Spring Barr’s Road adjacent to the site, said crash records in the project packet show multiple accidents at the intersection and questioned whether traffic counts (taken in August 2024) reflect busier months. She also raised concerns about order‑kiosk noise and dumpster activity affecting abutters.

Attorney Ahmed said the traffic counts were done in August 2024 and that a peer reviewer endorsed the methodology. He told the board the applicant tested kiosk sound and agreed to a condition that the kiosk volume "cannot be heard off of the property." On stormwater, he said the submitted design will capture and treat 100 percent of new runoff onsite and that the engineering division has reviewed and approved the approach.

Board members debated bollards versus a guardrail and whether to increase bollard density to protect an abutting structure and rear‑yard workers. The board moved to revise bollard spacing on the south side from 6 feet on center to 54 inches on center and approved that change unanimously; staff will require a revised plan showing the spacing before submitting final documents to the building commissioner.

The decision contains standard construction and erosion controls, an itemized addendum of public‑safety improvements that the applicant must complete before occupancy, and a requirement that any installations not approved or not funded (for example, by the traffic advisory committee) trigger a return to the planning board for modification. The Board of Appeals must still consider the use variance and related ZBA matters.

The board closed the item after recording unanimous votes for both the site plan review approval and the special permit. The approvals are conditioned on completing the improvements described in the decision and securing required permits and traffic‑committee sign‑offs.