Planning Board Continues Discussions with Dave and Busters

The Planning Board met on Thursday, April 7 and continued tense discussions with representatives for Dave and Busters, which has its eye on a new facility to be located at 90 Middlesex Turnpike. Those who hoped to see the special permit process conclude last night were disappointed as the Planning Board was forced to continue discussions once again due to the late submission of a traffic report.

Dan Mills of MDM Traffic Consultants informed the board he received the mitigation conditions from the applicant too late on Thursday afternoon to give the document fair and careful consideration. Board members agreed that the traffic mitigation concerns must be meticulously reviewed and thus decided to continue the special permit process another month.

Dave and Buster’s representatives presented the proposed floor plan to the Board for the first time. The plan shows a second level that boasts more than 40,000 square feet of space divided as follows:

Midway/assembly areas                                    8,248 square feet
Dining area                                                         11,173 square feet
Support area (kitchen, restrooms)                17,162 square feet
Vertical Transportation                                     3,689 square feet

The first floor of the facility is mainly parking.

Member Joe Impemba questioned the applicant about the size of the facility.

“My point is you have other facilities that are much smaller than this and this is a site that is very difficult from a traffic standpoint,” said Impemba.

“We feel we have addressed the traffic,” said Attorney Robert Buckley of Reimer and Braunstein which represents Dave and Buster’s.

The board continued to grapple with the parking situation which some members are concerned is inadequate. The facility has a capacity of more than 1,400 people broken down as follows:

268 dining seats
137 bar seats
180 function seats
750 midway customers
up to 75 staff members.

Using a conservative estimate of one parking space per three individuals, an estimated 467 spaces are required. The applicant has requested 400 spaces, a number which is significantly greater than the original PDD documents allow.

“You don’t have enough parking,” said Impemba. “Three hundred and twenty  spaces was pushing the envelope. Four hundred is beyond that and it isn’t even going to be enough.”

Several Town Meeting Members including Norm Steeves, Christine Warren, Lucy Damiani, Mary Sweeney and Ernie Zabalotny spoke against granting the special permit.

Member Paul Raymond stated he felt the plan was far removed from the original concept.

Buckley disagreed and said “From a legal standpoint, people think the concept plan is not being followed. I submit that it is exactly being followed. We are in total compliance.”

“I think there are more than a few people who think this is not the correct location,” said Planning Board Chair Ernie Covino.

Member Raymond added “I think if this goes is, it will be even more successful that you realize. That will be part of the problem.”

The special permit process will continue at the next planning board meeting scheduled for May 2, 2011.