Contested transfer of beer-and-wine license to 1 East Meadow Road continued after neighbors raise safety, school proximity concerns

The Lowell License Commission on April 2 continued a contested application to transfer a beer‑and‑wine package store license to 1 East Meadow Road after neighbors and a police study raised questions about traffic safety and proximity to schools.

Attorney Brian Ocasion, representing One East Meadow Road Inc., said the proposed manager, Matul Prajapati, plans to operate a specialty craft‑beer and wine shop at the location and provided a parking plan that he said shows 12 spaces and two employee spots. Ocasion also said the applicants are longtime Lowell residents and business operators and that the transfer could reduce loitering at the license’s current location on Gorm Street.

Opposition speakers, including attorney Scott Bratton (who represented nearby business owners), presented a petition signed by residents and cited Chapter 138, Section 16C — the state statute that creates a rebuttable presumption against placing liquor retailers within 500 feet of a school or church. Bratton and several neighbors said the four‑way East Meadow–Mammoth Road intersection has seen increased crashes and that students and bus stops are nearby, arguing the license would worsen pedestrian and traffic hazards.

Several residents described near‑misses and accidents in front of the site and questioned the applicant’s parking figures. Steve O’Neal, a property owner, testified the site has parking but acknowledged differing counts; others said the posted engineering plan and on‑the‑ground conditions did not match.

Captain Peasley of the Lowell Police Department told the commission the department’s corridor study showed an increase in motor‑vehicle crashes at the four‑way intersection and that the location has been identified as a concerning spot in an 18‑month traffic review. He said the address was not flagged as a policing 'hot spot' for vandalism or disorderly incidents in weekly comstat reviews but offered to produce crime statistics if the commission requested them.

Commissioners said they wanted clearer data before deciding. They voted to continue the public hearing to April 23, 2026, and directed the police department to provide crime and accident statistics (an 18‑month window) and the city assessor or staff to verify distances from the proposed business to nearby St. Rita’s Church and Joseph McAven Elementary School. The motion to continue carried unanimously.

The commission did not make a final determination on whether the transfer meets the statutory standard under Chapter 138. The continued hearing will give commissioners time to review the police data, confirmed parking plans, and precise distance measurements before the next session.