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Board conditions Gen Korean Barbecue approval on six‑month parking‑management plan after safety concerns
Summary
Representatives for Gen Korean Barbecue and property owner Brixmor showed pedestrian‑safety upgrades and an employee‑parking plan but the board pressed on parking capacity and vehicle safety. The applicant agreed to a six‑month parking‑management/monitoring plan as a condition prior to building permit issuance; the written hearing record remains open through April 8.
Brixmor Property Group and restaurant representatives sought a special‑use permit and a shared‑parking reduction at the Dalewood I shopping center on March 30, telling the Planning Board they had revised the site to add striping, stop signs, a new ADA stall and accessible curb ramp.
"We think that we've addressed a lot of the concerns that you've raised," Mark Newman of Brixmor said, outlining pedestrian improvements and a snow‑removal contract. Colette Del Oro, a senior project manager at Langan, walked the board through new crosswalk striping, additional stop signs and an ADA parking stall next to the proposed restaurant entrance.
Why it matters: the applicant is asking the board to allow a significant shared‑parking reduction while the restaurant would seat roughly 407 people. Board members, led by Weinberg, warned that peak periods across the center and the demographic profile of nearby patrons could create safety and circulation problems. Weinberg pressed whether takeout or delivery (DoorDash) would occur; restaurant representatives said there would be no takeout or delivery service.
Traffic and parking management: a traffic reviewer from John Canning's group recommended that the applicant prepare a parking‑management plan for the opening period and gather utilization data. The reviewer suggested a monitoring period of six months; the applicant agreed to implement a six‑month parking‑management or opening plan as a condition before the building modification permit is issued. The plan will require coordination with town traffic staff on data‑collection times (e.g., peak Friday and Saturday evenings).
Mitigations discussed: board members and applicants discussed wheel stops, higher curb profiles, painted high‑visibility wheel stops and the costs and aesthetics of bollards. The property owner said bollards can be expensive and may create an unwelcoming appearance; board members suggested high‑visibility wheel stops as a lower‑impact mitigation and asked that the parking‑management plan include clear triggers for returning to the board if problems arise.
Ending: the public hearing was closed to oral comment and the written record kept open through April 8; a condition requiring a six‑month parking‑management plan was agreed and will be memorialized as part of any future approval.
