The proposal at 92 Worcester Street would replace a long-vacant restaurant site with a McDonald’s, but the Planning Board’s October 26 review raised questions about whether the parcel could accommodate the drive-thru and its parking needs. Project materials give the proposed restaurant’s size as either 3,000 or 3,050 square feet. The two-acre site previously housed Burger King and later Pepperoni Express.
A Vacant Lot Eyed For New Life
The Planning Board reviewed the proposal on October 26, with members questioning how a drive-thru restaurant would function on the site, according to Community Advocate. The outlet’s headline described a 3,000-square-foot restaurant, while its report on the project details gave the area as 3,050 square feet; the discrepancy was not reconciled.
The proposed drive-thru would require a special permit because that use is not allowed by right in the zoning district. The applicant is also seeking special permits for construction within the floodplain and for signage larger than current rules allow, the report states. The existing building would be demolished.
Traffic And Parking Take Center Stage
On parking, the town’s peer reviewer, MDM Transportation Consultants, described the proposed supply as somewhat thin but said the plan was not inherently flawed. The reviewer also noted the challenges posed by the site’s layout, according to the report.
The applicant’s team argued that many restaurant trips would be pass-by trips: customers already traveling on Worcester Street to another destination, rather than new trips generated by the restaurant. The team also said nearby traffic signals were expected to remain at the same level of service after the restaurant opened.
Board member Bob Hassinger raised concerns about the drive-thru, the report said. The site plan proposes 29 parking spaces, including spaces for delivery drivers and customers picking up mobile orders.
Fewer Curb Cuts, Less Pavement
The plan would reduce the property’s curb cuts from three to two and lower its impervious surface—the pavement and other hard surfaces that limit water absorption—from 70 percent to 43 percent, Community Advocate reported.
Project representative Matt Eckel told the board the development would return activity and commerce to a site that had been a blight for years. He also argued that reducing the paved area would make the proposal a net positive for nearby wetlands.
A separate Worcester Street plan
The Town of Grafton’s Worcester Street Village planning effort focused on a project area around 215 Worcester Street, not the McDonald’s proposal at 92 Worcester Street. The Town said the effort would examine a pedestrian-accessible mix of residential and non-residential uses that fits the surrounding 1950s neighborhood and serves as a gateway to Grafton; it did not make findings about the restaurant proposal, according to the Town of Grafton.
