Planning Board Delays Vote on Dave and Busters

On June 2, the Planning Board met once again with Robert Buckley of Reimer and Braunstein who was representing Dave and Busters. Dave and Busters is seeking a special permit to open a restaurant and entertainment center at 90 Middlesex Turnpike, the site of a former Dodge dealership. The proposal has been mired in discussions about traffic mitigation and the nature of the original PDD documents.  At this latest meeting, the Planning Board heard from Dan Mills of MDM Traffic Consultants, who performed a peer review of the traffic study submitted by the applicant.

Mills concluded that the traffic measures suggested by Dave and Busters were reasonable, but he also offered some additional suggestions, which both the Board and the applicant found agreeable.  Mills suggested that the dividing island on Middlesex Turnpike directly across from the site be reduced to allow for constructing a left turn only lane into the proposed Dave and Busters.  This would allow traffic coming off of Route 95 North to turn left into Dave and Busters as opposed to  continuing past the site to perform a u-turn in front of the cinema.

Mills also stated the need for further discussions with the neighboring tenant, , to determine if the possibility of a shared driveway exists.  The Board has indicated in the past that a shared driveway, which would reduce the need for u-turns in and out of the site, would be viewed favorably.

Mills also acknowledged that the potential for greater volumes of traffic than has been planned for may occur. For this reason, he suggested traffic monitoring six to nine months after the proposed entertainment center opens and once again 12-18 months after opening. Mills concluded that additional mitigations may be required based on actual volumes.

Town Meeting Member Norm Steeves (Precinct 5) addressed the Board and expressed dismay that the conversation has been mainly focused on traffic.

“Our attention has been misdirected from the main problem, which is that this plan bears no resemblance to the original presentation to Town Meeting,” said Steeves. “This traffic discussion makes me think this is a fait de compli if the traffic is addressed. I feel it is slipping out of our hands."

Town Meeting Member Jack Kelly also spoke against the proposal, noting that the applicant showed Town Meeting only one of many possible uses for the Planned Development District.

”Does the applicant have an obligation to present all possibilities or just the one that is likely to get them a favorable conclusion?” he asked.

Attorney Buckley responded, saying “It’s been a long process. We’ve tried to respond to all the issues that were raised. What I heard Dan say is that what we’ve proposed is a reasonable response to our impacts.”

The Board agreed to continue the matter until the June 16 planning board meeting when it is expected that the Board will vote.

In other business, the Board talked to Attorney Mark Vaughn of Reimer and Braunstein regarding the property on Muller Road, which is owned by his client Symes Associates.  Symes appeared before Town Meeting in May and requested a zoning change to Planned Development District (PDD). The request was denied due to concerns about density, traffic and flooding. 

In a brief discussion with Vaughn, the Board indicated that it would be willing to discuss a zoning change to residential at the site.  If zoned residential, the property could support approximately 22 homes on half-acre lots.  Another alternative would be for Symes to apply for a special permit for an open space residential development, commonly known as "cluster housing." According to Town Planner Tony Fields, a cluster housing development on the Muller Road property could include as many as 48 homes. Fields noted, however, that the Planning Board could impose additional restrictions that would lessen the number of allowed residences.

Symes Associates is expected to appear before the Planning Board again at the June 16 meeting.