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Planning board approves three restaurant occupancies and parking variance for Lodi Commons
Summary
The Lodi Planning Board approved three certificates of occupancy for restaurant tenants at Lodi Commons and granted a parking variance after hearing owner and engineering testimony that a parking study and shared-use pattern would keep peak demand below available supply.
The Lodi Planning Board on Jan. 8 approved three certificates of occupancy for new restaurant tenants at the Lodi Commons shopping center and granted a parking variance to accommodate the change in uses.
The owner's representative, attorney Tom O'Connor, told the board the applications cover three remaining tenant spaces and do not propose changes to the site or building approved in 2020. Dustin Hicks of Sterling Organization, the owner’s redevelopment manager, said the center lost its Amazon anchor and has secured leases with three food operators and is negotiating with a large clothing retailer for the former anchor space. "We were able to secure, leases with the three tenants that have been mentioned," Hicks said, adding that the prospective retailer will want to see active neighboring tenancies.
The board heard engineering testimony from Jesse Coakley and a parking assessment from traffic consultant Alec Zukowski. Coakley said the site contains about 250 physical parking spaces and that, by ordinance arithmetic, the proposed tenant mix would generate a numerical shortfall that would require relief. Zukowski said field counts conducted Dec. 4 and Dec. 6 showed a maximum observed demand of 123 spaces (about half the supply) and that an ITE-based estimate for all uses including the three restaurants yields an estimated demand of about 215 spaces (roughly 85% of supply). "When you add in the estimated demand for the k pot, which was vacant at the time of the counts, as well as the Qdoba and the bakery, you get to an overall demand of about 215 spaces," Zukowski said.
Board members probed operational questions, including refuse and recycling arrangements for three food businesses and whether existing trash enclosures and hauling frequency would be sufficient. The applicant said the site has a trash enclosure at the southern end that the tenants would likely use and agreed to show any additional dumpster or enclosure details in revised plans if necessary.
After discussion, the board took a motion and carried approval of the three certificates of occupancy and the requested parking variance by roll-call vote. The board recorded members present and voting in favor as part of the meeting record and the approval is subject to standard building-department permit review and any conditions noted in the board’s resolution.
The board paused briefly for a five-minute recess after the vote; building permit applications and any required health or DPW sign-offs will follow the board’s approvals.
